On my own side
by Girl of Twilight Wings
Summary: This is the story of a girl named Katie Shirran, aka Catgirl. Cats walk alone in the night, silent, and cunning. At least, that was what she thought. Catgirl's reputation gets out and the light, wanting to combat the team, seeks her out. At the same time, Batman offers her a place on his own team, a chance for redemption. Which side, if any, will she chose? Mainly OC
1. Origins

Origins

**Hello readers! I've noticed the increasing number of Catgirl oriented fan fictions coming out, and decided to contribute to the rush. I do not own YJ or any cartoon out there, so get the idea out of your heads. There will be no further disclaimer on every chapter because I find it rather redundant. Anyways, enjoy!**

* * *

My name is Katie Nicole Shirran, and I was only six years old when it happened. I'm sure you're wondering what happened, and if you're thinking about kitty thieves and jewelry, you're all wrong.

I had short brunette hair the color of fallen leaves in the fall. My eyes were green, piercing, like cat's eyes. I had tan skin and dark freckles. I was small and scrawny, only about three feet tall and thin as a needle.

My parents and I lived on a farm on the outskirts Gotham City.

I remember clearly as if it happened yesterday.

I was standing on the roof of the barn, petting my best friend, Shadow the cat. My brother and father were bringing out the tractor. I beamed at them.

My brother was wearing a red shirt, plaid.

It isn't a wise choice of outfits when walking near the cow pasture, where we had three bulls. Nobody thought it would cause trouble, they were just stupid cows who would stop at the fence.

But no, this time he fell over the fence, distracted by my smile. He thought he'd simply tripped and stood, waving at me.

I screamed a warning but it was too late for him to get out of the way.

I should never have had to see that, the horn going through him like a knife through butter.

The warm, summer sun no longer reflected upon the lush green grass in the sign of a good day, for the green was spattered with red.

* * *

We moved into the city, selling the farm. The only place we could find was uncomfortably close to crime alley for me, but my parents never minded.

I went to school with normal kids instead of homeschooling with Shadow, who still lives with me.

I was eight when the second tragedy struck.

My parents were driving down the road to pick me up, and a cold fist tightened in my stomach.

The road beneath them exploded. Their car landed on the sidewalk next to me, upside down, crushed, totaled.

I lost my voice for a month. I refused to let anyone into my life but Shadow, who always understood me. He was a great pall, and with him I became oriented with the ways of the world again.

I even learned how to get cats in general to do you favors. They're more intelligent than they look, and they tend to talk to each other.

I was speaking with a cat called Isis when Selina Kyle found me.

I was nine.

"Well hello there." She said.

I thought she was talking to me and began to respond, but Isis did first with a greeting meow. He sprung on Selina's shoulder.

She noticed me in the shadows then, with my own pet standing tall and proud with me.

"I didn't notice you there, kitten." She said.

I stood, and asked, "Who are you?"

"Selina Kyle, how about you kitten?" She asked me.

I saw no reason to not tell her. "Katie Nicole Shirran."

She nods and said, "You like cats?"

"Yeah, I didn't think anyone else could bond with the society like I did." I replied.

Shadow meowed his agreement.

Selina looked surprised. "I didn't think anyone else did that either. Where's your family? It's dangerous to be in crime alley alone, especially for a little kid like you."

I wince and bite my lip to keep from crying as I see the scenes again in my head, bright as day yet dark as night, the story of my life spelled out: Tragedy.

She saw my reaction and her piercing eyes soften. "You're an orphan."

I nodded.

"Well, I'd better get you back to the orphanage then." She said, and we go back.

It's true; no one should ever wander to crime alley alone. I stare at the pavement across the street where my parents had their last moments of life.

* * *

That day, Selina adopted me. I thought I would scream in joy when I first saw her apartment and all the cats. I knew every single one of them.

"Welcome home kitten." She told me.

Another girl, younger than me with brown hair that was more potato skin color said hi, but briefly. She didn't look happy about me moving in.

It took a few weeks, but we grew on each other.

Now, to catch up to current day and my much brighter lifestyle, I'd like to tell you a story about two cats, a bird, and a bat, and their team of friends.


	2. First Night on the Job

First Night on the Job

**Hello readers! I hope you like my story so far, if you don't, too bad! I really like reviews, so feel welcome to post your thoughts. If you flame, though, I tend to get as mad as Superboy going berserk.**

**I hope you enjoy, and viola, here is the chapter!**

* * *

I stare at my reflection in the mirror. I look like the cat girl I am.

I've trained for this for years, and now I'm thirteen, my first night on the job.

Some damned idiot is shipping some gold cat statue from Egypt through here, just ASKING for it to get stolen. I mean c'mon, who just takes a GOLDEN CAT STATUE into CATWOMAN's town?

Apparently Bruce Wayne. Thinks he's so rich he can handle anything, and I hear he's going to have tight security, meaning Catwoman attacks Bats and Rob, I sneak up behind them and snag the statue. Catwoman is driven off, we escape with our prize.

That's the plan. There's always the improvise plan, I use all the skills taught to me from the one and only Catwoman and take down Rob while she attacks Batman, and one of us wins and grabs the statue, signaling the escapade to begin.

The suit covers my hair, and masks my face. It also hides my eyes, mostly, and most of my body. I also have a 'cat personality' to go with it, the real me. My 'human personality' is dull.

I grin and lift the goggles, and then smile at my reflection. "Kate, you look good." I smirk, putting the goggles back on.

"Ready, Kit?" Selina calls.

"Yes I am. Oh yes I am." I say, walking out of my room.

"You look stunning. Now remember what I taught you, tonight's your big test to see if you're cat enough." Selina grins.

"You're lucky she's giving you the chance." Holly replies.

I give her a Cheshire smile and don't respond. Instead, Catwoman jumps out the window, whip catching on a gargoyle. I follow and land on my feet on the building across from us.

We silently streak through the night, only pausing occasionally for Catwoman to give me tips and pointers.

We make it to Wayne Manor in a few minutes. I stare in shock at the building. It looks haunted. I smile at the thought, I'd fit right in there, being a black cat with my adoptive mother.

We sneak in without tripping an alarm, rather, she does. I come in through the vent and follow the blueprints to the room of my destination.

Batman and Robin stand guard. I wait for Catwoman.

Batman is what I expected, but Rob, not so much. He's short, for one, only about my age. He has a computer on his wrist, his hair is shaggy, he's complaining to Batman about being tired, which amuses me, and he's wearing quite obvious colors.

Catwoman makes her entrance. I watch and wait silently.

Batman turns to the sound of a footstep, and Robin yawns, but is nudged by Batman. He walks over to the noise.

"Oh look, nothing." He mutters.

But Batman isn't convinced. I have a high respect for the Bat's composure, I just need to see how he fights.

Selina's whip catches Boy Blunder's leg as he's returning and le lets out a startled cry, pulled back into the shadows.

I tense silently.

Batman rushes over with a cry of "Robin!" And is promptly ambushed by Catwoman, who throws boy blunder at him. as they crash, I remove the vent cover. Catwoman is driven back by Batman, flirting with him.

Rob looks like he's rolling his eyes beneath the mask. He charges Catwoman.

The fight is taken out of the room. I drop down in the shadows and grab a worthless porcelain pot from a shelf, swapping it with the cat statue.

Suddenly, Robin charges in on me. I dodge his blow easily and land a kick on his back.

He crashes headfirst into the pedestal, and then goes limp. I don't fall for it, and jump out the window, tossing a smoke bomb in after I'm gone; the signal for Selina.

Boy Blunder was tired and caught off guard at two cats instead of one, but I'm sure that'll change soon. I've seen him in action.

Selina and I land on the roof of a nearby building and head to the west side, where I ditch Robin's tracker, and then go straight to the East side, into crime alley, and straight home to the apartment.

I grin as I land, producing the statue when I'm inside.

"Gorgeous!" Selina and I gasp. Holly huffs and walks away.

"Since this is your first night, you can keep it."

The statue is a shining, precious, feline object that fascinates me and intrigues me, and I instantly love it. It is cool to the touch, and in a distant fragment of my mind, a voice says_ "Ooh, shiny. Moving on!"_

I scold that portion of my mind and hide the statue until I want to look at it again.

Shadow leaps up to me and purrs, then hands me a note. It's from one of my few friends, Dick Grayson. At least, I pretend to be friends with him.

_Hey, guess what?_

_That gold cat statue that was at my house got STOLEN! I saw Robin take a concussion in the security feeds. That Cat Girl is awesome, in a thief/sidekick kind of way._

_Anyways, next time nobody tells the press. The smoke was horrible. _

_Your friend, Dick_

I grin. So he thinks I'm awesome huh? That sounds cool! A concussion for Bird Brain is even better. He won't underestimate me again!

I write a note back.

_Dick, _

_I don't think any thievery is cool. Plus, Robin and a concussion means Batman gets off duty for a bit. Who knows what could go wrong with that? I'd hate my house being filled with smoke to. In my opinion, when he focuses, Robin is cooler._

_Your friend, Kate_

I let Shadow take the note, give him a treat, and he runs off into the night. He knows to bring it to the manor and return to the apartment and wait.

Why don't we text each other the messages? I don't have a phone. As soon as I have the money from a certain jewelry store, I'll get one.

I jump out the window again, going with Selina for a break in lesson and how to avoid security systems. It's a quick run through the museum, not stealing anything unless we want to.

We go in through a vent, and contort our bodies to fit. We creep silently through the vents and into the museam.

Selina shows me how to avoid cameras and laser traps, and other things like that. She shows me firsthand how to do things.

I spot a cash register. I can't help but look. Selina rolls her eyes and shows me how to get in.

I end up taking nothing and just leaving it open. Just taking plain old cash seems boring. We walk through the entire museum and leave without taking anything.

Selina decides to head home, but I stay out. What can I say, the night is young.

I hover around crime alley, searching for something to do. When I find nothing, I go for a jewelry store. I break in by picking the lock on the back door and look for what I want. A pretty black cat necklace is here, and Selina says to always get extras for bribes.

So I take the necklace and three diamond necklaces and then go, even locking the door behind me.

I arrive back home with my prizes.

"Well hello Kit." Selina says.

I take off the three diamond necklaces and then show her the black cat one. "I couldn't find anything to do, so I robbed a jewelry store. Don't worry; I didn't trip any security system, unless the necklaces are counted by a robot every few hours."

"Good work Kit." Selina smiles at me, "Now you should go to bed, school tomorrow." Selina says.

I inwardly groan and walk away. I stash my supply of jewels and the statue under the floorboards under my bed, where there's a cabinet for it.

I also stash my costume there, and change into pajamas. I set my alarm clock and turn off the lights, going into a restless sleep.


	3. Villain or Vigilante?

Villain or Vigilante?

**OMG OMG! (Squeals in excitement) I love all the positive reviews, and for the guest who flamed me, you accomplished nothing except making me get better reviews, so thank you. Flames will be used to make popcorn from now on! Anyways, I read these reviews right after getting back from school, and I have to say they cheered me up after a dull rainy day.**

**Anyways, I write this chapter with a morale boost. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

I stare in boredom at the clock. I finished the paper on math ten minutes ago, and left my book, Eragon, in Geography.

I stare as the clock slowly counts the seconds until lunch period.

"Think you could help me on this one?" A pleading voice asks. I look over to see Dick making kitten eyes at me again.

I hate puppy dogs, so that's what I named the expression. I can't resist it.

"Agh, Dick, fine." I looked at his paper. That was the only one I'd struggled with.

"Okay, you divide those, and then multiply that…" I went on and eventually he got the answer. I will give the process, but not the answer. I can barely contain a catty smirk as I realize he got it wrong. I turn away.

I hear scribbling all over the classroom and the occasional chit chat, as usual. Classrooms, I'll inform you, are _never _silent as the grave, especially when Wally West is hitting on some random girl. I roll my eyes and resist the urge to gag.

The bell rings and I'm out the door as soon as it does. I'm fast, I'll tell you, and my walking pace can be confused with someone jogging.

"Hey, wait up!" Dick catches up to me, one of the only people, other than Wally, who can match my speed. "You actually going to eat today?" He asks.

"Nope, probably not. You know how horrible the school food is, and how long the lunch lines are." I reply.

"Why don't you just bring your own lunch?" He asks.

"Because it's a waste of time. Who eats a thousand eight hundred or so calories a day in real life? It's always under or over." I say.

"I'm starting to think you're anorexic." Wally West tells me, catching up.

I snort. "Compared to you, _everyone _is anorexic. You eat so much I'm shocked that you're not overweight, and after that, you're _still _hungry."

Dick grins and Wally frowns. Barbra races up, and then stops to talk, and then jogs back up to us.

"Hey, did you hear?" She asks.

"About what?" We all ask.

"Catgirl." She replies.

"Duh, I live at Wayne Manor." Dick says.

"He texted me." I say, and Wally adds, "Dido."

"How come you didn't tell me?" She asks pitifully.

"Because you changed your phone number so I can't call or text you anymore." Dick says.

I roll my eyes. Those two would make a perfect couple. In fact, they probably are a couple by now and don't realize it.

Of course, Wally kind of ruins the conversation as Barbra tells Dick her number. "Dude, nice!"

We all shoot glares at him, as intimidating as an angry Batman. After a moment's pause, he asks, "What?"

We all roll our eyes and walk away, and I punch Wally in the arm. He winces. "Oww."

Okay, maybe I hit him a bit harder than I meant to, but he deserved that for turning this into an awkward moment.

We split up, the group going into the lunchroom while I head straight out to the fields.

I wait for a while, playing a grass whistle, until the others come out.

Wally runs out and races on the turf, and Dick just looks around for something to do. Barbra is with him. Oh yeah, they're a couple.

I decide to get on peoples nerves without them knowing who it is doing it. I pick up a rock and stuff it into a kid's pencil pouch in an open binder before zipping it up and sneaking away. I know, not very cat-like, but after someone lugs that thing up a few flights of stairs to get to their next class and gets tired and worn out, then opens their pencil pouch to find a big rock and all their supplies crushed…

I'm so very mean.

I walk away and climb a tree. No, I'm not supposed to be doing that, but it's a short cut to get on the roof and then back in the building, straight to class. Nobody even knows I do this yet. If Selina knew, she'd slaughter me for jeopardizing my secret ID.

The bell rings soon, and I slip inside, and then get to my locker, grabbing my binder and a few extra papers.

This is going to be a long day…

* * *

I don't think I've ever been this happier at the end of a Monday.

I race from the school grounds and run all the way home, despite the fact that I'm loaded with homework.

I arrive at the apartment soon enough and dump my backpack in my bedroom before coming out to see if Selina's home.

There was a note.

_Kit, _

_Holly and I are out at the Wild Cat preservation outside of Gotham. We'll be home at around seven._

_Feel free to head out whenever you like. Don't throw a party, or you're grounded. _

_Selina._

I grin and toss the note out. If anything, I'd never throw a party. Sure, maybe I'll go to one eventually, but have one, with people, in my personal space, and able to find our 'feline collection', no thank you.

I go ahead and do my homework, then walk over to the kitchen and watch the clock. My stomach growls. I spent an hour on my homework, meaning it's five, but I won't eat until six.

Being fall, however, the sun goes down early. I eat a turkey sandwich and then become Catgirl.

Today, I doubt I'll steal. I want to try out the whole vigilante thing, and then steal from whoever I beat up.

I find my chance in crime alley. Barbra and Dick are walking over to my apartment, Wally in tow, when a big blue van screams around the corner and screeches to a stop. A bunch of men go at them.

They start to run into the alley, and I spring from the roof. I land on the guy's head, hard, taking him down. I kick the next one, duck under a punch, and use my whip to disarm the man with a pistol.

I take down all but one hiding behind a dumpster behind me, and am turning to face him when I hear him scream and watch him sail over me.

I let out a strangled gasp when I see the bat behind me. I know that I'm doomed against _him _if he decides I'm a criminal.

"Hello Catgirl." He says. I sense no move from him to attack, so I drop my defensive position once I realize he doesn't have one.

I decide to not speak. The bat could be anyone, and maybe even someone I've spoken to before.

"Not talkative?" He asks.

I change to my Catgirl voice. "I just wasn't expecting you to come along. Congrats, you startled me."

"Where's Catwoman?" He asks.

"Not here." I reply, "Something about not going out tonight."

His eyes narrow, and I adopt a defensive position again.

"Seeing as you saved those kids back there, and are obviously under Catwoman's influence, I won't bring you in for stealing that cat statue." He says, "But if you ever cross the line again, I will take you in."

"Like you've had so much luck with Selina." I joke.

Before he responds, I drop a smoke bomb and snag the guy I beat up's wallet.

I dump the tracker Bats gave me into a dumpster and then dart off with an extra hundred dollars on person.

When I rest, though, I notice something in the wallet.

The guy's ID, he's a serious kidnapper. I check everything else, frowning. He works for a gang, I know that. His face has been on signs as one of Gotham's most wanted for months.

I hear a cackle behind me. Robin.

"I thought Batman told you not to cross the line again." He says.

"I'm not, this guy is a big time gang guy, specializes in kidnapping and murder. I want to know who he's working for." I reply.

"Really?" Rob asks, and drops down. "So, do you mind if I call you whiskers?"

"Yes, but I doubt I'll get a choice in the matter Bird Brain." I say.

He frowns. I show him the guy's ID.

"You weren't kidding." He says.

I roll my eyes. He's a dick. "Of course I wasn't Bird Brain. Doesn't he do this stuff for money? He has to be working for someone."

"Well, I guess I can help if you want." He says.

"Hell no Bird Brain. I'll handle this one." I reply, "I don't want Batman on my case again. Also, nice try with the tracker, but Bats already played that one. Don't you have a concussion?"

He frowns.

"Aha! You do!" I grin, Cheshire cat style.

"Yeah, sure, laugh it up Whiskers. I'm going to get you for that." He replies.

"Bye Bird Brain." I say, and leap from rooftop to rooftop. Man, he's like a little annoying puppy.

* * *

Soon I find a place in private to look over the info I found. The guy probably didn't mean to, but he left a business card for some mob boss I don't recognize, must be new in Gotham.

I go to the address, and find myself near the abandoned apartment complex near the ocean. I definitely have uncovered something.

I should, as a faithful citizen of Gotham, take this to Batman, but I'm a Cat right now, the Bat's business isn't mine.

I creep over to the window and see something shocking. There's a bunch of kids tied up at gunpoint being loaded into a truck. My lips curl into a snarl. If I could move the sat ears on my head, they'd be laying flat on my skull.

I lash my whip at the driver, and it catches on his gun, jerking it out at the ocean and sending it in. He lets out a shout of astonishment. "It's Catwoman!"

In the shadows, I use the echo effect to confuse my location.

"It's CatGirl, you morons. Let the kids go and you might leave you with minimal injuries." I say, moving rapidly as I spoke.

They looked around dubiously. "A kid? What, did you join up with Batman?"

I lashed my whip at the man who said it and tugged him into the shadows. He let out a startled cry and I easily dodged his flailing fists and tore his face open with my claws before shoving him back out and circling.

"My God," The driver gasped at the man's screams as he landed and the ghastly cat claw mark across his face.

I grab a knife from my belt and throw it. It plants itself in the nozzle of a gun I knew had rapid fire capabilities and shot out of the shadows.

I easily disarmed the men with my whip, and dodged their clumsy punches and kicks. I was landing lots of my own, and kicked a man into his buddy when the water roared as an Atlantian boy, Aqualad, showed up with dickhead Robin and Kid Flash.

I frown at them and knock out the last man standing, then I let the kids out.

"It appears we weren't needed here." Aqualad said.

"Sorry to break it to you, but I know my way around. All I needed was the guy's ID." I say, and tossed it to him.

"You took his wallet?" Aqualad asks dubiously.

"You can find out a lot about someone by getting into their wallets." I say, and add, "All it took was the ID and a business card, then I threw it away."

"You didn't steal anything?" Asks Kid Flash.

"I'm not a pickpocket." I say, but add, "Well, not in the way of stealing from innocent people."

"Catwoman mostly takes stuff from the bad guys, figures she would to." Bird Brain informs them.

"Stop talking about me like I'm not here Bird Brain!" I bust out his nickname.

KF starts laughing.

"Well, whiskers, you're not really here, you seem to be off in a world where stealing at all is okay!" He says.

Looser.

"Hey, I didn't steal anything tonight, Rob. In fact, I actually did a little hero work. Get used to it, I'm in the grey area." I growl. Deciding not to get in a fight with birdie and humiliate him in front of all those innocent kids and his buddies, I back into the shadows and dart away.

* * *

I stop once on the way home to ditch yet another tracker. What is with Bird Brain and trying these things?

I irritably walk into crime alley, aware that I'm being watched. Out of the corner of my eye, I see someone in green and purple, wearing a smile and with white, pasty skin.

I decide to not notice and instead go on a long detour, stopping by a jewelry store on the way and snagging a pretty bracelet. Joker is watching me, I know, so I simply grab a few more and dart out.

I feel the eyes of Joker stop following me and spot someone replacing him. A goon, I can take.

"I thought you said you only stole from criminals." It was just Aqualad.

"Play along, I'm being watched from the apartment building across the street. Joker." I inform him softly as I swing at him.

He frowns and says, "It does not matter, in truth, you are simply a lying thief." He swings a punch at me, which I evade.

I catch his left water bearer with my whip as he brings them out and sends it flying across the street. "I said mostly, not always."

Mostly disarmed with only one Water bearer, he uses electricity with one arm when he tries to land a blow. I do a flip over his head and kick him in the back, taking out a knife. I throw it hard, taking out his other water bearer.

The next knife I burry in his shoulder. He staggers with a shocked painful cry.

I growl to shake off the sympathy.

My knives are very sharp, and I'm very good at knife throwing. With my skills and knives, that thing easily went through his skin, which would disable his arm, and most attacks and defenses.

Blood was pouring when he pulled it out. He grabbed a water bearer with his good arm and attacked again.

I kick him hard in the injured shoulder after dodging his blow.

He groans and staggers, and I whip my claws out. "I don't want to hurt you Aqualad." I admit, "But if you continue to fight me, I'll have to."

He blinks at me in confusion. "You seemed eager to fight."

"Yeah, so did you, but I don't kill, and I know you don't either. If I cut another artery like that, you could die of blood loss. I'd not come after me again if I were you." I inform him.

"I cannot let you escape." He growled.

"Then don't let me." I say, and do a roundhouse kick to his head, knocking him out. I take his com and say, "Your friend's injured." And then dart away.

I'm aware of the joker's goon still watching my every move, and decide to lose him.

I take off at a sprint up to Gotham PD, where I know they're not stupid enough to follow.

I make it within sight range, and not being stealthy, the goon knows to not follow.

I just wonder; why was Joker watching me? Of what importance am I to him?

Maybe he thought that I'm a new Bat and wanted to be able to tell, and if not, what else?

I feel my heart skip a few beats as a maniacal laugh splits the night. Maybe I shouldn't have ditched the team and fought Aqualad like that.

I see Joker, but his eyes aren't on me, they're on…

Batman and Catwoman.

Batman is unconscious and Catwoman is gravely injured. My eyes narrow into slits, I growl deep in my throat.

I launch myself across the rooftops, and then get an idea.

I race back to Gotham PD with a little Joker gizmo that's already been detonated. I threw it hard and it crashed through the PD's window. I dart over to where the Joker is and find him walking around, taunting Catwoman as the goons loaded the two onto a truck.

I attack.

Joker doesn't expect me, but still dodges in time.

"I was expecting the Boy Blunder, but a pretty kitty will have to do." He growls.

I growl in return, whipping my claws out. Time to see if my training paid off.

He giggles and attacks. Unlike Aqualad and I, he does enjoy fighting, meaning he most definitely will _not _Hold back.

I dodge the swipe with his knife and throw one of my own. I have six left, and need to use them wisely.

He deftly dodges and it clatters uselessly against a wall. One of Joker's goons tries to grab me from behind, so I back flip over him and kick him hard in the back, sending him flying into the Joker.

Before my living projectile can hit, however, Joker nimbly leaps to the side. He's now holding a machine gun. I grab my whip and dodge behind a building, and then lash my whip out, smacking the gun away. I come at him again, trying to drag him onto my turf by his wrist, but instead he grabs my whip and yanks it hard, ripping it from my grasp. I stagger forwards.

Now I have my claws and five knives.

The Joker's repugnant smile and hyena-like laughter echoes across the street, now abandoned. He attacks with his knife and I dodge and slash at his arm with my claws.

I finally score a good hit. He yells a weird curse as he jerks back, cradling his bloody arm.

His goons attack, and they are huge. Too big for their own good.

Being small, I dodge their attacks with deft precision, but soon realize that I can't focus on all of them at the same time. One of them finally lands a good hit on my back, and I'm sent sprawling forwards onto the pavement.

"Kitten!" Selina cries from in the truck. I leap off the ground with my arms and shoulders as one of them tries to step on me, and land on my feet, skidding a few inches.

Sirens wail, the police got my message.

I realize that I've landed close enough to my whip to grab it, and do. I realize now that I've lost track of Joker.

I hear his laugh from behind me and dodge one of those boxing gloves on a yellow spring.

It bounces back to him and I hear more laughter, girl's laughter. Harley Quinn darts out from my left and I do a back handspring out of the way of her blow.

The goons have closed in, and I know I can't keep this up forever.

That's when an orange and red blur shoots past me and punches out Harley Quinn. Kid Flash has arrived.

Joker abandons Harley and leaps into his truck. A few of the unoccupied goons slam the doors closed and it zooms away.

I can handle the other guys.

I decide to use my claws, they're there for a reason. I slash one of them across the stomach and kick the wound hard. Kid flash then barrels into it.

"First you save kids, then you rob a jewelry store and almost kill Aqualad, and now you're fighting Joker?" Asks a familiar voice.

Bird Brain throws a few batarangs at the villains.

"They have Batman and Catwoman!" I shout.

"They what?" Bird Brain stops by me, a look of shock on his face.

"They drove off in a Joker Car, I bet Harley will tell us where." I say, and then take out the last goon.

He nods and says, "Should you do it or should I?" He asks.

"I'll do it. You're a kid in a bird suit, I'm a criminal with claws and I'm not afraid to use them." I say.

"Hey!" He exclaims, offended.

I drag Harley into an alleyway as the cops pull up and arrest the goons. Then she wakes up and I slam her against the wall, putting my claws on her neck.

"Hiya, kid." Harley says nervously.

"Where did Joker take Batman and Catwoman, and what are his plans?" I ask.

"I ain't never tellin on Mister J!" She exclaims.

I growl and play another card. "Well, Joker left you the second you were knocked out. He doesn't give a crap whether or not you're okay, so long as his plans succeed. You think you're any more than a pawn? Now, I _do _give a crap what happens to Catwoman and Batman, and if you don't tell me, I'll go ahead and cross that line."

I press my claws harder against her neck.

"Aww, c'mon kiddo, you wouldn't!" She gasps, and then realizes the entirety of what I said. "Neither would Mister J! He would never leave me here!"

"He did, and now, if you don't tell me where he is, you won't just be alone, you'll be _dead_!" I growl.

"Aright, I'll spill!" She squeals. "They went to the old toy factory, and Joker's got a pit of hyenas he's goanna feed them to if you don't show up by midnight tomorrow!"

"What? I want to know why." I growl.

"I don't know, this was his big secret that he ain't never told anyone!" She said.

I toss her out to the cops and dart onto the roof.

I see Robin waiting.

"Well, what did she say? You didn't kill her, like you obviously wanted to, so she must've said something.

"Old toy factory, downtown Gotham. But it's specifically set to lure me there." I say, frown still intact.

He also frowns. "Good thing that Harley talked. Did she say why?" He asks.

"Joker never told her, apparently. I'm good at reading people, she was telling the truth." I say.

"Well, I hope you don't intend to walk all the way there." Another voice says.

A boy in jeans and a black and red superman shirt stands behind me. A big red space ship de-camouflages.

"Um, I've never heard of that before." I say, "Or you, what's your name?"

"Superboy." He replies bluntly, and then says, "We aren't forgiving you for what you did to Aqualad, but I guess we should do something since he's got Batman."

I nod ruefully, and say, "I hope you don't expect me to fall for this and get on that thing."

"Fall for what?" Kid flash speeds beside me.

"Easy, I go in and whatever, and then you ambush me. Oldest trick in the book, make an enemy look like a friend." I say.

"Do you really think we're that blunt?" A Blondie in an exposed costume walks out.

"Um, would it bug you if I said yes?" I ask, "And besides, I know where I'm going, and actually can do this on my own."

"Can we convince you?" Robin asks.

"Yeah, admit you're a dickhead and I'll get on." I snort.

Superboy coughs in order to poorly conceal a laugh. Wally snorts and shakes his head in amusement. Arrow Girl actually bursts out laughing.

Robin looks surprised for a split second, but that's all I need. It was when I said the word Dick. And now, I know who he is. Dick Grayson. One slip, and your ID pours out.

Now he's glowering and says, "Fine, I'm a dickhead. Now can we go?"

I laugh and say, "Yeah, sure. That's obviously going on Youtube." I point to KF, who's obviously Wally West, holding a camera phone.

Robin's eyes widen. "NO!" He starts chasing Wally for the phone. They dart onto the bioship.

The rest of us follow.

"You've made history." Artemis informs me, and laughs.

Superboy says, "You know he'll get back at you for that."

"He can try, but when he does get back at me, it'll be huge. I gave him a concussion, a stupid nickname, and ruined his reputation."

We enter the bioship and I look around in wonder. Chairs materialize out of nothing and I sit in one, and the seatbelt forms out of it. "Whoa, eww." I remark.

Dick sits down in the chair furthest from me, his face completely red. His seat does the same thing mine did.

Wally sits down in one with also no reaction. Archer Girl and Supey come in a moment later with Aqualad, who gives me an apprehensive glance and sits in the chair closest to me.

A green girl takes the pilot's seat.

"You're on the bioship?" Aqualad asks me.

I shrug meekly, and say, "Robin admitted something you really should've seen." I whisper.

Dick has his head turned away from me, giving me the cold shoulder, but his face is still cherry red.

"What was it?" He asks.

"He wanted me on the bioship, and I didn't trust him, so I made him admit to being a dickhead. KF got it on video and I'm sure its online by now." I reply.

Aqualad's eyes widen in surprise and he lets out a snort. I didn't expect that reaction, but I don't show it.

"Sorry about your shoulder." I add.

"It's alright; it barely got through my skin. Not as bad as it looked." He replies. I nod and look around.

The bioship is definitely… themed. It's all red blue or light blue. The only different colors are us people in costumes. Suddenly I get a good look at archer girl and recognize her. Artemis from school. I still don't show the recognition, though.

The bioship camouflages and we land on the building's roof.

I'm eager to get in, and so is Dick.

The team is getting out, and I wait. I realize that yes, in fact, we do need a plan.

The fact is lost on KF, Green Girl, Artemis, and Rob, who are instantly in the building.

"Well, so much for a plan." Aqualad grumbles, and then realize that two of his companions stayed with him.

I look up at him expectantly. "Well fearless leader?"

He looks surprised that I'm one of the two who didn't instantly rush in.

"Do you have a plan?" He asks, "It is your town."

"Well, this is Joker's house, so I suggest not taking the vents. A window would be nice, and I'm sure the others are providing the distraction we need to get Batman and Catwoman lose." I say.

Superboy nods and says, "And if not, I'm sure I can help.

Suddenly the commotion that had followed the group's entry ceased.

"I'd better check it out." I say, and curl my whip around a pipe, dropping down to look through the windows. My face pales. The entire team is stuck in some kind of almost see through jack in the box.

It's up to the three of us.


	4. The League and The Light

The League and The Light

**To the guest who just flamed me: I don't give a crap what you think. If you're going to act like that and be a pain in the butt, just stop reading. Even the best authors get flames, like J.R.R. Tolkien, one of my greatest inspirations. I'm taking it as a compliment that people care enough to try putting me off at all.**

**Anyways, see, still making popcorn, and here's the next chapter!**

* * *

I almost couldn't believe it when I saw the sun coming up. If Selina wasn't the reason for it, she'd kill me. I reported back to the other two what I'd seen.

"Well, I can give you two a distraction while you free Catwoman and Batman." Superboy says.

"You sure?" I ask, cocking my head.

"Yes." He replies.

"Good," Aqualad replies, "We can enter the window behind the captives, and once they're free I will join the fight. Will you be able to save the rest of my team?"

"Sure, all I need is to find out where the controls are." I say, "That or Batman wakes up and does it for me. You ready to go?"

We all dart into position, and Superboy goes berserk and smashes through a window. As soon as the commotion starts up, we drop into position and enter the window.

"What, son of Superman much?" I ask, staring at Superboy getting shot with bullet after bullet and not feeling it.

"Clone, actually. Not all Superman's powers, and tends to go berserk, but you get the picture." Aqualad replies.

We leap in and land quietly. I untie Selina and help her with her severe injury, a huge gash across her ribcage, while Aqualad unties Batman, who has just woken up.

Aqualad, as planned, joins the fighting and I find the control panel while Bats gets his wits about him.

I find the button doohickey that opens the jack in the box again, and hit it. It opens, and the rest of the team bursts out.

Batman pretty much ends the fight by punching Joker out.

The goons give up.

I race over to Selina and help her up, and before we can go, Batman stops me. Catwoman says, "It's something we were talking about." And then she jumps out the window.

Batman jerked his head for me to follow. Bewildered, I do. What could Batman possibly have to say to me that he'd have to talk to Selina about? Surely not taking me in after I saved his sorry butt.

"You did good work tonight," That was not what I had expected.

Batman continues. "You saved lives, and among those was my own and the lives of the team. However, you have gained a considerably large amount of time in juvenile detention if you're caught."

"I know that, so what are you getting at?" I ask, tense. It looks more and more like he's going to try and catch me.

He frowns and replies, "I want to give you a chance to get rid of that, without spending it in prison. You met my team in there. They're a covert team that works for the Justice League, and I'm offering you a place on it."

My jaw hits the roof, and then rolls off it to the pavement below. "What?"

He sees my surprise, and just continues anyways. "You can respond anytime you like before you steal something else. I know about your late night jewelry shopping."

He leaves and I close my mouth.

I got offered a place on the team I already have friends in, that will most likely trust me. The only catch is to give up the feral part of being a cat.

I decide to consider it, and find two trackers on me. Jeez, still trying to find out who I am. I wonder if Selina has this kind of trouble.

I find a feral cat, stick the trackers to his fur and say, "Hey kitty, have a night on the town."

He meows and purrs before walking away.

I start heading home, but feel eyes on me. I turn to see another girl, about a year older than Archery Girl, except in green and black, with a huge arsenal of cool and savage looking weapons, a Cheshire cat mask, and black, unruly hair.

"Hey kid." She says, "I have a message from my boss for you."

I tense and prepare for an attack.

She distracted me, however, long enough for someone else to sneak up behind me.

I feel a searing pain in the back of my head and let out a startled and pained grunt, and then my vision becomes black.

* * *

I don't know how long I've been out, but I know instantly when I'm awake that I'm tied up, very tightly, and under a strict watch.

I groan and open my eyes, but the throbbing in the back of my skull makes me want to close them again and pass out. I don't, however, as I see someone approaching. I blink to clear my vision.

"You're finally awake." A stern voice says.

My vision clears and I see a guy, I think he's Ras al Ghoul. His big muscular bodyguard stands behind him, glaring at me as if daring me to try something.

"Why did you kidnap me?" I snarl angrily.

"The restraints are just in case you woke up and decided to put up a fight." He says, and his bodyguard comes and takes them off.

I rub my wrists to bring feeling back into them, and then say, "Don't change the subject, restraints or no restraints, you still had me kidnapped."

"Ah, yes, I'm sorry for that inconvenience. A certain kryptonian saw from a distance, and we had to make it look inconspicuous." Ras explains.

I narrow my eyes. "Make what inconspicuous?"

"I believe I owe you an explanation, but first, I have to know I can trust you with the information. If you do not do exactly what he says," a guy with his brain exposed came in. I have a bad feeling about this, "You really will become a hostage."

"Fine." I growl, all the same, I prepared my claws.

"Now open your mind." He says.

I instantly, out of anger, humiliation, fear, and countless negative emotions, including rebellion, I envisioned a titanium wall closing around it and hope he can't.

He frowns and says, "In order for this to work, you need to cooperate…"

I cut him off. "Cooperate with what? Am I just supposed to leave myself open for you to prowl around in my mind like the slinking dog you are?"

Maybe I came off a little too offensive. Mr. bodyguard slams me against the wall as Ras flicks his fingers. I let out a cry of shock as I make impact with it, and my concentration falters. Brain guy gets in.

I see images in my mind, but just for a moment. He does not infiltrate further than the surface, and I'm relieved despite the migraine.

Bodyguard puts me down, and I'm partially immobilized by brain guy, and my thoughts are sluggish, inhibiting any kind of attack I would've made.

"Now, I want to make sure you won't spill this information to anyone." Ras says.

"What's wrong? Giving Batman grief got boring?" I ask, just to make him mad.

His brow creased and he says, "Psimon, didn't I tell you to inhibit that kind of thinking?"

"On it already." I can't even speak now.

If he wants to make me an ally, he isn't doing a good job.

"What's going on in here?" A woman's voice sounds.

Talia Ghoul races in, just in time too.

"Stop that!" She hits Psimon hard in his brain jar.

The guys leave.

"Good cop bad cop huh?" I ask.

She smiles at me and shakes her head. "Forgive my father, he can get carried away."

"So, mind telling me why I'm here?" I ask again. How many times until they decide to answer me I wonder?

"Well, you know how the Justice League has their little team of heroes." She says.

"Oh, I get it. You want your own. Nice way to start out, by the way, kidnap and chain up, then invade the brain of the kid you want on the team." I growl at her.

She ignores me. "Yes, we would like you on the team, but my father, Psimon, and I are not the ones who will be running it. We have a, secret society of sorts, The Light, to be specific. We have all we need to take down the justice league, well, we did until they got the team."

"Give me five good reasons I should even consider joining your team of social rejects and killers." I growl, still a bit angry.

"1, you can steal whenever you want without the threat of being taken in. 2, your thieving range will no longer have a limitation. 3, you won't ever have to fight the hard battles on your own. 4, Catwoman and Batman no longer control you. 5, you won't have to fear the league's punishment for stabbing a team member." Talia says.

My eyes are still narrow. "Alright, ghoul. What's the catch?"

"The catch is, you will work for the Light, and if you betray us, we hunt you down and destroy you and your friends and family." A kid in a witch outfit and an orange and white striped kitty that has red eyes walks in.

He is followed by Psimon, Cheshire cat, some kid that looks like superboy except with weird eyes, a huge muscle guy with red hair, and a guy about my age in black spandex, a skull mask with a red X on it, and a red X on his shirt.

"We need six members for this team to work. Judging by your fight with Aqualad, we would like you to be the sixth." Ras says.

"First of all, I don't know almost all of your names."

"I'm Cheshire."

"Red X."

"Psimon."

"Klarion and Teko."

"Match."

"Mammoth."

"Okay, which one of you hit me in the head, first I'd like a little chat with them." I growl.

They step back, and then grin as Red X is the only one still standing in the center.

I leap and kick him across the room as hard as I can. "Okay, we're even. Now, if I refuse to join?"

"You will remain under surveillance until we know you won't contact the league." Ras says.

I remember the words straight from the canary's mouth. Superboy saw, and any minute, I could be out of here.

"Well, I'm not sure about it yet. You see, I don't kill, and I only steal major things that have links to mob bosses and stuff like that." I say.

They narrow their eyes. "I only do it so I walk a grey line, and I'm not sure I'm ready to give that up yet."

"Talia and I walk similar paths, only more to the dark of that area. We will give you some time to think about this." Ras says, "About two days."

The group files out and Bodyguard grabs me. I claw at his arms ineffectively, and he just grabs them and chains me up again.

The door closes and leaves me in darkness. I can only hope they weren't lying, because refusing to say yes now means death.


	5. Beast Boy Part 1

Beast Boy, part 1

**Hello readers! Okay, fist off, if you are reading just to flame or protest against me, I think it's kind of redundant to read this at all. Get used to it, THIS STORY IS ABOUT MY OC. Yes, it's also YJ, I just haven't gotten to that part yet, okay?**

**Secondly, I DO NOT LIKE CATGIRL/ROBIN EITHER. So calm down, okay?**

**Alright, now that that's over with, on with the story.**

* * *

I am finally out on the field again, and it's exhilarating. Selina is stealing from an art museum tonight, and let me go out on my own, for small tasks, doing hero stuff.

That's why I saved the lady being mugged back there, crushed a bank robbery, and nailed a few guys back at Wayne Tech. If this doesn't give me a better rep in the world, I don't know what will.

Truth be told, Six months in a wheelchair and almost a full body cast gives a girl a lot of time to reflect on her life.

So I'm taking measures to make sure I don't get kidnapped again.

I am NOT stealing anything

I make sure the bad guys know they turned me good instead of the other way around

Proving that the Light and Catwoman have absolutely NO influence over my actions.

Actually, they sort of do, but not in a negative way anymore.

I hear a cackle behind me and growl to myself. Great, the boy blunder decided to drop in on me.

"What do you want bird brains?" I ask, turning to look at him.

"You turned good!" He says, eyes wide like an owl's.

"Well duh. I don't want to end up like the criminals in the light." I snap at him.

"So trauma turned you to our side?"

"I'm still not on your side bird brain. I'm not traumatized either. I just don't steal anymore." I reply, "But I do still beat up annoying bird kids that refuse to butt out of my business. Go fly away birdie."

He glares at me. "No, you didn't change. You were obviously not traumatized either. Maybe it was the head wound."

I punch him in the nose, just hard enough to stun him and avoid breaking it.

He falls back, sure enough, stunned, and I leave the rooftop, having spotted a high speed chase to go deal with.

It's Harley Quinn, may she rot forever in the eternal decay of her madness, evading the cops with Poison Ivy.

I throw a knife and it blows the car's front left tire, clatters back, popping the back left one.

The car crashes into a fire hydrant and the two leap out. Ivy shoots from the ground, throwing the cars, but I react by throwing a knife at Ivy.

The knife gives her a haircut, and distracts her long enough for the big gun to arrive.

Batman attacks, and Robin, with a purple beak, I might add, (;D) joins in.

I see Harley sneaking off and land in front of her. Kicking her in the head as I land.

"Remember me?" I ask, "I'm the person who threw you in prison six months ago."

She attacks, but I'm quick, and dodge every blow. I swipe her feet from under her, but she turns it into a cartwheel with a cry of "Weee!"

Annoyed, I throw a knife at the puffball at the end the right side of her joker hat. She yelps, distracted.

I leap forwards, and she tries to dodge. I smash my foot down hard on her left foot, just behind the instep, as she does. I hear a satisfying crack and she almost falls, but I hit her beneath the chin, hard, still stepping on her broken foot.

She falls with a cry, and I drag her out to the police before leaving.

I watch from the roof as they throw her into the Arkam Asylum transport truck and drive away. I hear a soft footstep behind me. I recognize a shadow and turn, completely calm, to face Batman.

"Your mother was caught tonight." He informs me.

I gasp, taken aback. "She did?"

"Only her secret ID, Katie Kyle." He says.

"You didn't tell everyone, did you?" I ask.

"No, of course not." He says, "I just thought you should know, the secret's out."

"I figured out who you were a long time ago, to, Bruce Wayne." I say.

He is calm as a statue.

"I can even meet you in the batcave tonight, without following you." I say.

Now he's a bit surprised. "How did you come by this information?"

"Bird Brain reacted to something I said. Then I tried calling him by his secret ID a while back and he, out of instinct and not knowing who was talking, responded to it."

Batman's eyes narrow. "Don't worry, I told no one, your secret's safe with me." I assure him, "Plus, if I wanted to tell someone, I probably would've told someone about six months ago."

"Not that, you have excellent detective skills."

I blink like an owl. Did the big bad bat just compliment me?

"Have you thought about my offer?" He asks.

I nod and say, "I'd like to join." Truth be told, jumping onto the bandwagon isn't my style, but I think that after six months of quiet, the Light will seek revenge on me, it's only a matter of time. I just need to be ready for it.

"Tomorrow night, meet me at Wayne Tech." He says, as I'm about to ask which one, he realizes his error and amends, "The one you saved tonight, right after dusk."

I nod, and then leap away.

A new part of my attire is a cat-faced watch. It's two A.M., and I should really head home.

Today is Thursday, and tomorrow is the last day of school. After that, school is officially over.

I decided to dress in a purple v-neck shirt and black short jeans that just reach my knees. My hair is braided back, and my green eyes flash like neon lights in the sunshine.

It's kind of like my irritating friend's blue eyes, just brighter, more obvious.

He's now dating Barbra, and I'm happy for them. Of course, when it's Batgirl, new vigilante, who I know is Barbra, and Robin, aka Dick Grayson; we hate on each other all we want. We all know who the other is.

Right now, my head's buzzing. I cannot take a moment more in this horrible eighth period Biology. Being who I am at night, I know all there is to know about this kind of thing. I sigh and finish the paper. I'm sure no one else is close to finished.

Dick sees this and is about to do kitten eyes at me, again, and I turn away, get out a new book, Insurgent, and burry my face in it. I can hear his disappointed groan and grin to myself.

I read until we pass our papers forwards, and then the bell rings. I grab my book and binder and race out the door.

The only one out before me is Wally, who uses his super speed once we're by the doors. I shoot a glare at Dick and say, "Not getting along outside of school."

He looks like he couldn't agree more, and we leave, refusing to even look at each other.

Aren't we weird?

He stays and waits for Barbra, and I head to crime alley, and then Selina's apartment. I head to my room, throw everything at the foot of my bed, and look at my schedule. It is pretty empty, and I have to wait until dark to go into Catgirl mode.

So, I just putter around for a bit, twiddling my thumbs, texting jokes to Wally, and yes, I finally don't have to lie about having a phone. Selina got me one a few days after I got out of the hospital.

Now I just turn it off and put it on the kitchen counter, feeling that the thing was particularly worthless at the moment.

I turn on the TV and watch some nature documentary about Cats, and then an animal planet show about fishing.

I turn it off as the sky darkens. Here's my call.

I put on the Cargirl costume and leap out the window, and manage to arrive before Batman does. I'm sharpening my claws when he does arrive.

"Follow me." He says brusquely. I do, remembering the conversation at home last night at three AM. Selina was proud, but with a look of betrayal in her eyes. I decided to only look at the proud.

We stop by a telephone booth.

I cock my head in surprise. Here? Of all places?

He gets out a keypad and dials in something, it says Catgirl B11.

"Go in."

Shrugging, I walk into the booth… and emerge in a huge cave that looks like an entire mountain. Why am I even surprised? This is Batman we're talking about.

After the tube announces his arrival, he walks out in front of me. The rest of the team, in civvies, I notice, rush out.

"Team, I'm sure you've all met Catgirl." Batman says.

A girl in a magician's outfit, a brown skinned girl with tomboy short hair, and cock their heads.

"Most of you have." He amends. "For those of you who haven't noticed already, she's becoming a member of the team."

Batman turns and leaves us.

"Hi, I'm Zatana, this is Rocket, and he's Blue Beetle." Zatana introduced us. She's actually a nice girl.

"So, finally joining the team?" Asks Superboy.

"Yep." I say, flashing a grin at him.

"So, you know all of them already?" Asks Blue Beetle.

"Yeah, let's not talk about the first few meetings." I say, feeling uncomfortable on that ground.

I realize Robin walked out when Batman did, must be demanding that the Bat reconsider for his mental health.

Zatana picks up on the fact to. "Um, where's Robin?"

I shrug, but say, "He doesn't exactly like me, let's leave it at that."

Wally lets out a burst of laughter as we leave the main room; I realize he's watching something on his phone. We all look at it and realize it's the video he got of me forcing Dick to call himself a Dickhead.

"I guess his hatred of you is mutual." Rocket comments. I nod, exaggerating the eagerness of the gesture. It makes me look like a pigeon with a dopey grin.

She rolls her eyes.

We chat until we reach a room that looks like an average living room. I blink owlishly. This is not what I expected an HQ to look like.

"Not what you expected, huh?" Green girl asks.

I can't take it anymore. "Listen, I'm sorry, but I still never got your names." I gesture to her and Archery Girl.

"I'm Megan, and this is Artemis." Megan says. I blink again, surprised. She's trusting me with her secret ID? I just joined the team!

"Is something wrong?" Asks Artemis.

"Uh, no. I just didn't expect people to start giving out secret IDs. I mean, I know who Robin, KF, Batgirl, and now Artemis and you are, but I had no idea you'd actually tell me." I say.

"You know who I am?" Wally squawks.

"Not a surprise, I know who you and Robin are, and I know who everyone else on the team is." Batgirl says.

"If you know Robin, then who's Batman?" Rocket asks.

"I swore I'd never tell anyone to the Bat himself. I'm not about to go back on that." I say, frowning.

"I must have the easiest to decode secret ID ever." Wally groans. "But yes, I'm one of the few who know who the bat and Rob are."

"Yes, and if you think, you should know who I am. Say it and die, though." I joke.

He frowns and I pull one of my sideways frowns that he should recognize or be an idiot. He's an idiot.

"So, you all know each other?" Asks Megan.

"Yep." I say, popping the p.

"Team, report for mission briefing. Batman out."

How did I not see that one coming?

We all dart into the big room I entered in. Batman has a few screens up, and I stare at them, knowing that they're holographic displays.

"Queen Bee is making another move against Quarac, and she seems to be playing a similar game as last time. Your mission, find out what, and stop her."

He leaves, and Megan leads us all to the bioship. I know what to expect this time, so it doesn't creep me out.

As soon as everyone's claimed our seats, Megan pilots the bioship out of the hangar. I realize that we're in Happy Harbor for the first time, and that I'm probably a hundred or so miles away from Gotham.

We fly out over the ocean, towards Bialya and Quarac.

* * *

Believe it or not, this trip does not complete itself automatically.

When we arrive, it's morning, and I have called Catwoman to tell the school I'm sick. Wally's asleep, and so is Robin, with a bored expression on his face.

Aqualad is yawning, Megan is exhausted, Artemis is trying to keep awake, Blue beetle is also asleep, Batgirl is playing with her wrist computer, exhausted, and Superboy and I are completely unaffected and have been for the whole trip.

However, boredom seems to have gotten the better of me on this seven hour flight, and I've sharpened my claws and knives, adjusted and organized all my gadgets and gadget pockets, gone through a list of every cat species I know, and started making up battle scenarios in my head and solving them.

That's when something explodes.

We all scramble to wake up, and I ask Megan, who's close to collapsing, how to pilot the ship. She gives me instructions and passes out, clutching at her head.

I take the pilot's seat and try to bring it to a glide and fail, the left wing is gone.

"Crap!" I exclaim, "Hold on, we're going for a crash landing!"

I dodge the small house and barn and let it slide over the ground while it grinds to a halt. A warplane zooms over us, and the flying members and Superboy go after it.

A moment later, it explodes.

"Oww, nice landing newbie!" Robin groans, clutching his head.

"I'd like to see you land this thing with an entire wing blown off! Plus, Megan is hurt!" I say, and kneel by her. She has her hands on her head, groaning and shaking it. Soon, she recovers.

She recovers when two people from the small house I avoided crushing.

"Are you alright?" Asks the woman.

"Yeah, sorry about almost crashing on top of your house." I say meekly.

Superboy, Blue Beetle, and Rocket come back.

"You seem to have expanded your team." She says.

I blink and look at them, and I'm not the only one. Aqualad knows, but Zatana and Blue Beetle don't, that these people were pretty much Megan's earth family.

I know, but I'm not expecting them to be so calm about me almost crushing their home.

"This is Aqualad, Artemis, Batgirl, Blue Beetle, Zatana, Rocket, and Catgirl." Megan says, gesturing to all of us in turn.

Soon, after a bit of explaining, we were inside the people's house. Well, I was on the roof while they were in the house. Megan had managed to put the bioship into camouflage mode, but the tracks from the crash were still out there, unable to be disguised.

I was watching for more planes, and listening as well.

I see two black specks on the horizon, and lower my goggles to my face. I use my improved mask and its long range binoculars in my goggles to see what they were.

I frown. What are Hawkman and Hawkwoman doing here?

I press the com and say, "We have company, Hawkman and Hawkwoman are approaching. Anybody know what that's about?"

"Uh, no." Superboy says, "I think I'll have a look."

"Why would Hawkman and Hawkwoman be here?" Asks KF.

"The bioship! Martian Manhunter must've sensed it go down and sent help!" Megan gasps.

Something still doesn't feel right. I look closer and see with shock that they're trading blows. "No, I don't think so. They're fighting each other, with maces. I can't tell exactly what's going on from here."

"Blue and I will check it out."

Blue Beetle and Rocket take off and fly towards them.

I watch intently, waiting to see what happens.

Blue Beetle is sent falling back at us with a blow from Hawkman.

"Blue Beetle is going down!" I shout.

Megan goes up to join them and catches Blue, who rejoins the fight.

"What's happening?" Asks Batgirl, "Tell me the play by play."

I roll my eyes and say, "They're trying to restrain Hawkman, and Hawkwoman is yelling something at him. If you want dialogue, ask Superboy. Hawkman just broke free. Hawkwoman is knocked out, Megan caught her. Rocket put Hawkman in a bubble, they're coming back down."

Everyone is listening by the time I finish.

"What I wouldn't give to have been able to see that." Garfield gasps in awe.

"It's really not that interesting, just confusing." I say, turning the binoculars off. They're not needed now.

They land, and Hawkman's eyes are glowing as he pounds against the bubble.

"Can he get out of there?" Ms Logan asks worriedly.

"Not if he keeps hitting it like that, hitting it is just making it stronger." Rocket says, rolling her eyes.

"Hawkwoman, what happened?" Aqualad asks as the Thanagarian regains consciousness.

"Martian Manhunter picked up the distress signal from the bioship, and we were sent to help, but as you saw, Hawkman turned on me on the way here and has been trying to kill me until you showed up." She says.

"Queen Bee?" I ask, knowing her powers.

"Possibly." Hawkwoman agreed. "Rocket and I have to get him to the watchtower for a while until we're sure her hold on him is severed. I hope that this won't cause trouble on your mission."

"We'll be fine." Robin says, and we all agree.

They fly away towards civilization, where there is no doubt a Zeta tube that we could've taken here instead of the hours long flight.

A few hours later, we're finally in the capital of Qurac, in civvies after a long car ride and flight sometimes, and I have decided that I officially hate old rusty SUVs.

I leap out and dashed into the city, waving a thank you to Mrs. Logan and Garfield.

But out timing in arrival was awful. As Aqualad and Robin were getting out, an explosion rocked the ground, and I leapt back as the car flipped over my head. The four occupants had fallen out, luckily saved by Aqualad from being crushed.

Another explosion rocked the ground, and this time closer to me. I was thrown from my feet and sent sailing at the wall. I rotated in flight, landed on the wall, and leapt off in an expert front flip, on my feet.

"It seems Cats always land on their feet." Aqualad remarks, rushing up to me. Robin is getting the Logans out of there.

"After being thrown through a wall by the injustice league, I decided to practice that maneuver." I say.

He nods and the team regroups, except for the annoying bird, who's on crowd control. "Any idea where that came from?" Asks Artemis.

"Yeah, here and here. They're obviously mines. Aqualad, you dropped your water bearer by mistake here, and the first explosion went off, and then a piece of the car engine landed here, next to me, and detonated the next one." I say.

"They're in a straight line." Artemis remarks.

"Superboy, can you tell where they are?" Aqualad asks.

We're soon following a straight trail of mines, and carefully marking them so they don't get triggered. We soon reach what appears to be a bridge across, and we take it, and find a few more traps, consisting of buried spikes, a pit trap, a few more mines, and several security cameras with laser detectors.

I don't know how to hack them, the one thing Robin has above me. I decide to work on that a bit, sense it seems to be a needed skill.

We avoid them the old fashioned way, and soon find the entrance to a mine shaft. Superboy kicks it open.

"Well, seeing as Queen Bee had this place so well guarded, we might as well see what it is." I say, and we go in.

My cat-like sixth sense is going off, telling me danger is near. I stiffen and hiss, "Superboy, check for heat signatures."

"What? I hardly see why that's…" He protests, but I cut him off.

"Just do it!" I snarl.

He looks and says, "Good thing, there's a trail of mines in front of us, and a group of armed bozos at the end of the passage."

"Lead us through?" I ask.

He nods and we all follow him step for step in fear of taking a wrong step and blowing everyone up.

We reach the end of the passage, where there's a lantern by the door with five guards by it. _"My Turn." _ I say, over the mental link Miss M just set up.

I creep forwards with precision, and then take one and yank him into the shadows, where I throw him to Superboy.

He gets thrown into another guard, and the remaining three start shooting. I disarm them and take them out with a few accurate blows to the head.

"Superboy, anyone behind the door?" I ask as they catch up.

"No." He replies.

"Well, let's go then." I say, and this time I kick the door open and we dart inside. So much for covert mission.

I realize instantly that we were seen by a security camera. I curse over the mental link, pointing it out, and then smile and wave at it.

We race down the hallway, and Aqualad swears, saying, _"If we hadn't left Robin behind, he could hack this and get a map of the place."_

"_Gah, they already know we're here. I have basic hacking skills, I'll give it a shot." _I say, and then start typing into the nearest available computer port. It's not easy, but I pull up the blueprints.

"We can't bring this along…" Miss M says.

"_I memorized it, follow me, let's go, I found out that Queen Bee is actually here. It's only safe for Artemis Miss M and I to go there. They have a prison, and you guys can check that out." _I relay to them.

"_Alright, which way?" _I send him a mental image of the map so he can memorize it. When he does, I stop and we withdraw.

"_Wait, maybe we should go to the prison first." _Aqualad says, _"As a team, and get to Queen Bee as she evacuates."_

"_Good plan, let's go." _KF says, and we all give our agreements and head down there.

Soon we reach a huge prison, and slip down the halls. We release a few civilian prisoners, who are muttering deliriously about aliens.

Soon we reach a certain door, I gasp in shock. "Robin, Garfield, Mrs. Logan!"

They all look up, and Robin, to my shock, actually is grinning in relief when he sees me. The rest of the team hurries in, but as we open the door, trapdoor open under them, and they let out shocked cries as they fall through the floor.

I extend my claws and slide down after Garfield, and catch the collar of his shirt, digging my claws in to stop our rapid descent. "I gotcha kid." I say, and he climbs onto my back and I climb back up, panting.

"Catgirl!" Aqualad helps me up.

"Where are the others?" Batgirl asks, desperate to help Robin.

"I don't know, I only followed Garfield." I say.

"I know where we were going, c'mon, follow me!" Gar says, but I stare in shock at him. The rest of the team suddenly gasps.

"What's wrong?" He asks.

The only reply I can manage is, "Garfield, you're green."


	6. Beast Boy Part 2

Beast Boy Part 2

**Yes, I needed to bring in BB sometime. Oh, yes. Flame me if you wish. Cat Girl rules in my opinion. I would love more feedback, unless you're one of those no good flamers who just want to stop me from writing this. Truth be told, Negative reviews are making me defiant.**

**So, enjoy the chapter, and follow, favorite, and review. **

* * *

"_Garfield, you're green."_

That was where we left off, staring at the green boy in front of us, staring at his green self.

"Queen Bee did this!" He shouts, "She injected me with something, said that I'd be her soldier boy."

"Come on, sitting here yelling won't help Robin, Mrs. Logan, or you Garfield!" Zatana says to snap us out of it.

"Alright, this way." He says, and we follow the green boy down the labyrinth of hallways. We come out and freeze, in even more shock. There were three Goons securing Robin, and one has a gun turned on Mrs. Logan.

I get out my whip and am about to disarm him when he says, "Put it down kitty. My finger's on the trigger, and if you so much as twitch in the wrong direction, she dies."

"Mom!" Gar cries out.

I growl. _"Miss M, can you jam the nozzle of the gun, break it somehow?" _

"_Yes, I'll do it now."_ She replies, and says now, _"Done, I'm telling Rob and Mrs. Logan. Gar, you going to be okay?"_

"_Yeah." _ He replies.

I lash out with my whip and he pulls the trigger, but the gun explodes in his palm. Robin leaps up and away from the startled goons, getting behind us, swearing about being unarmed.

Aqualad rushed the first goon, punching his lights out. Superboy took two, and Artemis knocks out the next one, but more arrive.

One of them levels a gun with Mrs. Logan's head. There's no chance to warn anyone, he's already pulling the trigger.

With the speed only a cat can muster, I throw myself between Mrs. Logan and the bullet before having a chance to think.

I hear a scream of "Catgirl!" From multiple voices as a searing pain erupts in my left shoulder. I'm aware of flying through the air and slamming hard against the ground.

I pry my eyes open at a warm touch and see Mrs. Logan kneeling beside me.

My arm is on fire.

I see Aqualad furiously take out the man who fired the gun, and I'm almost sure he's dead until I see him breathing shallowly. He came close.

Garfield kneels next to me as well. My vision is swimming with pain.

"Are you okay?" He asks, and the noise seems like it's coming through a wall.

I let out a croak of, "I'll be fine, kiddo," and manage a weak smile.

Sometimes, you have to comfort the people around you instead of writhing in pain and screaming your lungs out, which is exactly what I feel like doing.

"No, you're not!" Gar says, there are tears in his eyes. Suddenly, he's not there anymore, a green bull is. It rams into the nearest goon.

I force myself to think.

"Garfield!" Mrs. Logan gasps in shock.

It has to be the blood transfusion. The injection simply finished the transformation. I force myself to think in order to ignore the pain of the bullet in my arm.

Soon it's over, and The team is gathered around me.

Aqualad picks me up and says, "I'll get her to the nearest medical facility, continue with the mission."

We head away, and he asks me, "How do you feel?"

"Like I got shot. This mission is important, Aqualad, don't just abandon the team when they need you the most. I'll be fine here, and I'll tell Miss M if anything's wrong. Leave me here, and come back after you've got Queen Bee." I say hoarsely.

"She has a point." Another voice says. It's Robin. "We can't bring Mrs. Logan into the fight with us, so she can look after Catgirl until we get back along with the prisoners we released. Besides, there are mines out there, and you could detonate them going out with her."

Suddenly, Aqualad falls, and my vision goes red. I can hardly suppress a scream as I land on my injured shoulder, and instead groan in pain.

I don't remember much after that until I'm in the Bioship Med Bay, heading back to mount justice. I really need to stop ending up here after missions.

* * *

Aqualad POV

I was taking down a villain when I saw her leap at an astonishing speed, and then heard the shot. Her body crumpled to the ground, laying limply.

Rage was like a fire inside me. We may not know each other very well, but Catgirl is my friend. My vision has clouded with a red fog and I use my water bearers to form a hammer, and I hit him as hard as I can with it.

I don't know yet what my goal was, to knock him unconscious or to kill him. After that, Garfield, to our shock, is a charging bull, taking down the rest of the villains.

Mrs. Logan is holding the limp body of Catgirl. I thought that she was dead. Then I notice the slight rise and fall of her chest.

I race over and pick her up. "I'll take her to the nearest medical facility, continue with the mission."

My voice sounds like I just witnessed the death of every citizen of Atlantis when I say it, I'm so worried. I'm still not sure she'll make it.

"How do you feel?" I ask, once I see that she's conscious.

"Like I got shot." She says. Her voice is shallow, scratchy, and dry. "The mission is important." She continues, and takes a ragged breath. "Aqualad, don't just abandon the team when they need you the most. Leave me here and come back for me after you've got Queen Bee."

I'm about to refuse when Robin appears next to me. "She has a good point."

I hardly hear anything after that, but his reasoning, I regret to admit, is sound. I give in, and then suddenly a bad guy is thrown into my back and I drop her right on her bullet wound.

Her face contorts and she groans pitifully, and I know she's hardly suppressing a scream. I move her off her injury and Mrs. Logan says, "I'll look after her. Just promise you'll keep Garfield safe."

I nod, give one last glance at my newest team mate, and dash down the hall with my team.

Queen Bee is already on a helicopter when we arrive, but Blue Beetle is angry, and so are the rest of us. I can't do much, but Zatana and Batgirl get on, with Megan following. Superboy leaps and Artemis joins them.

Wally says, "She'll be okay, she lived through much worse when she was captured by the light."

"I hope that you are right." I say, depression in every corner of my body.

The chopper crash lands not far away, and Gar catches up to us as a human and says, "I'm a shapeshifter!" And then turns into a cheetah and speeds over to the rest of the team, only outdone by KF.

I'm the last one there.

Queen Bee is unconscious and Quracian police have arrived on the scene. Miss Martian announces that she's regained contact with the bioship, which is healed.

We load Catgirl onto the bioship and Megan takes the bullet out of her shoulder.

Of all the team, I believe that she is the most courageous and selfless member, willing to give up her own life for the good of others. She proved that she would today, and I'm sure that she would do it again.

* * *

Catgirl POV

When I'm awake, Catwoman, who is let into mount justice to see me, chews me out on how stupidly brave I am.

"You could've died!" She says.

"I know, but I would never have been able to disarm him in time, it was either let that innocent woman die, or risk my own life and hope I survive. Eventually, I'll just grow from this experience!" I say, and then quote the song, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

"Cats always land on their feet." She smiles at me and says, "You have a bright future Katie. You can make sure others are safe from the tragedies you've faced, and you have the skill and the willpower to do it. I couldn't be more proud of you." She ends the conversation.

I smile. "I love you to Selina."

She left after that, and I healed surprisingly quickly, not even needing a bandage after the first month, and being able to use it properly after a week.

* * *

Soon, though, it seems that my near death experience was in vain. A report from Qurac says that Queen Bee got her revenge.

Marie Logan drove herself off a cliff.

Garfield wants revenge, I can hear him. I can relate. My parents died in a car crash.

I walk into the main room and decide that I may need to help him, I'm the only one who understands how he feels, except for Dick.

"Garfield." I say, voice cracking.

He gapes when he sees me. "Catgirl! You're okay!"

"Yeah, kiddo." I say, smiling.

"You didn't have to get hurt, mom would've died anyways." He says.

"Garfield, I need to talk to you in private." I say.

I take him up into a place I know we won't be overheard, one of the guest rooms.

"I know how you feel." I say.

"You can't know! You still have your mother!" He says, getting angry.

"Catwoman isn't my real mother. She adopted me after my real parents died in a car crash." I say, "And before that, when I was six, I lost my older brother. I just want you to know that if you want to talk about this you can, but revenge is not the path to follow."

He looks surprised, and we end up talking about it for an hour. Eventually, I talk him out of murder and revenge.

Before you know it, we're going on another mission.


	7. The Hostages Part 1

The Invasion part 1

**Hello again readers! I hope you're enjoying this story so far, I'd love some more reviews, and I don't care of what nature. So, readers, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

I never expected him to join the team as Beast Boy two days later.

"So, any pointers? You've been here longer than I have." He says.

"No, my first mission as a team member was when I got shot, and the mission I tagged along on ended with me getting punched through a brick wall. I'm the last person you want mission pointers from." I tell him.

He nods and says, "Noted."

I smile as he walks away.

"Team, report to the main room for mission briefing. Batman out."

We all go into the mission room; I was determined to not almost die this time.

We reach the main room at pretty much the same time, and Wolf is next to Superboy. I swear, that animal is big enough to ride, and it's somewhat gross. If you haven't noticed, I'm Catgirl and Wolf is a very intelligent animal. A few days ago, he chased me around the cave.

Now I'm tense and ready to get up into the rafters if need be.

"Sportsmaster is transporting more Cobra venom to an unknown buyer. Your mission is to find out who the buyer is and get out of there. I will NOT have another near death experience for ANYONE in the team." Batman says, "So when you find out who the buyer is, GET OUT."

We all nod, and he says, "Second, not all of you are going."

"What?" I ask incredulously.

"You heard me." He says gruffly. I shut up. "Now, the team members going are Aqualad, Catgirl, Kid Flash, Beast Boy, Zatana, and Rocket."

"What about the rest of us?" Asks Robin.

"The people I just mentioned are the Alpha squad. The next Group will be Beta, and your job is to find out who is sending the shipment, and then get out. Beta will be Robin, Superboy, Blue Beetle, Artemis, Batgirl, and Miss Martian." Batman says.

We nod, knowing that there were sort of too many of us to keep track of, and to find jobs for, on regular missions anymore.

Knowing that we won't have the luxury of flying on the Bioship, I begin to wonder about this.

As soon as Beta squad receives their coordinates, they leave, and Batman continues to us.

"I lied."

We all freeze and exchange owl-eyed looks.

"Your mission is also to stop the buy in any way possible. I have to report to a league mission, and won't be able to. The buy is going down in Gotham, let Catgirl have the final say in things, she knows the terrain." Batman says, "You're the Alpha squad because I want to A, see how much you can handle and B, because you're some of our heavy hitters."

We nod, and I'm close to bursting with joy. Despite my near death experiences, Batman thinks I'm one of the top members!

We enter the Zeta tubes, and I go first. We all emerge in crime alley.

"Okay, Catgirl," Aqualad says as soon as we're out, "You know the terrain, where do we start?"

"The sleaziest gig in town." I say, and then add, "And maybe Catwoman."

They exchange looks and I lead them to crime alley.

"Batman said covert, and no one will question me going in. You guys, however, are a different story. I'll see what I can get off these creeps and meet you back out here." I say, and before they can argue have jumped off the roof and entered the building.

As soon as I do, the room goes silent.

"I'm looking for information." I say, and spot the penguin cowering. I drag him into the alley and start an interrogation routine I learned from the bat.

"So, you're one of the biggest guys in this sleazy backwater club. I'm sure you've heard of Sportsmaster, and that a buy is going down. I want to know where." I say, sharpening my claws on the wall beside his head.

"Aagh! Don't hurt me! I'll tell you! He came by the Ice Pick club yesterday, he's selling to Riddler!" He squeals.

The team jumps down beside me.

"Where?" I demand, pressing my claws to his throat.

"On top of that old base Black Mask abandoned a year ago!" He yells, and I let him run.

"I see you got the information we were looking for." Aqualad says.

"The Penguin is a nervous sleazebag, yet he hears about everything one way or another. Sportsmaster is selling to Riddler on top of Black Mask's old building."

"Care to show us where that is?" Asks KF.

"Alright." I say, and we're up on the rooftops in an instant, arriving at the old building.

A nearby bank is being robbed.

"Gnh, I'll go handle that." I say, and jump down with a quick shout of, "Continue the mission!"

They get the gist.

I land on the first one's head and the others yell and pull out guns. I disarm them easily and grab one by the head with my whip, yank him over, and then do a flying ninja kick to his head. I throw down a smoke bomb and claw my way through the other three, earning pained screams and terrified yells as a result.

The cops show up, and I throw the bad guys at their feet before heading up to the Black mask building, where I realize I'm missing all the fun.

I get there and aim a kick at Sportsmaster, but he dodges and uses his spiky ball and chain to try and kill me.

I dodge and throw a knife into the grip, knocking it to the ground below. I aim a punch to his left arm, feint, and claw his right side.

He howls in pain and outrage and gets out another of his many weapons, a laser gun, and tries unsuccessfully to hit me.

I use my whip to grab the gun, but he grabs my whip and yanks me towards him. I take a hit to the side of my head as I duck a second too late. As I go down I sweep his feet out from under him and kick him in the teeth as he goes down.

He regains his balance and resumes shooting at me.

I dodge the blasts easily again, and throw another precious knife at the weapon, breaking it and causing it to explode.

"Eit retsamstrops ni etercnoc!" Zatana casts a spell and Sportsmaster is tied up by sheets of concrete that come from the roof beneath us.

I smile a quick thank you and head into the helicopter, deciding to blow up the shipment. I plant a few explosives and set them to a detonator, and then get off the chopper.

Riddler's riddlemen are defeated, but Riddler has made his escape. One of Sportsmaster's men takes off on the chopper, and we follow, until the chopper is over water when I blow it up.

"I'd say we won." KF states.

"Not yet, we didn't catch Riddler." I growl.

"Obsessed much?" Rocket asks.

"No, but if we don't tie the lose end, Riddler will just get more. Better, I want to know why he wanted it. I'm from Gotham, and I've encountered Riddler before. He has no use for the stuff." I say, frowning.

"You have a good point. We need to know why. Batman did assign this mission to us." Aqualad says.

"But we won! Batman can handle Riddler and we can go home. I'm not used to staying up all night, I'm a speedster, not a bat!" Wally complains.

"We can't just let him get away! Plus, like they said, if we leave Riddler out there he's just going to try again and eventually succeed, and then it'll be a bigger problem Kid Lazy!" Beast Boy glares at the teen.

We all give him Bat Glares.

"Look, leave if you want, but we're finishing this. Plus, we can simply spill to Batman that you were too lazy to continue if you don't." I play my final card: Blackmail.

His eyes widened at our smirks. It was a silent agreement.

"Fine, let's go catch the guy, but if I have to listen to Penguin one more time…"

"You won't have to." I say, grabbing one of the Riddlemen that's waking up.

"Allow me." Zatana says, and then casts a spell, "llet su erew s'relddir touedih si!"

He spills the information. "In the old boat rental on the western side of Gotham Docks." Then he blinks. "Wait, what just happened?"

"Peels!" Zatana says, and the guy passes out again.

"Can we continue on the ground? The rooftops are really destroying the use of Superspeed." KF asks.

"Yes, if you can find the docks in time…"

I don't hear the rest, I've left them to their own devices as I swing like a monkey from rooftop to rooftop, jumping onto balconies and window ledges.

A green hawk flies alongside me, a bit shakily, but accomplishing it all the same. Aqualad is on the ground, and KF overtakes us and takes a wrong turn.

"KF, you were supposed to go North, not south." I tell him over the com line.

"Oops." Another yellow blur passes us right after we take the turn. This time, though, I think I see a bit more red.

Rocket catches up, and I see Zatana with Kaldur below us. We arrive at the docks a few minutes later. I decide to just continue on my own next time.

"I'll go first." I say, and the team steps back. I leap down the stairwell, not even bothering to use the stairs and landing without a sound.

"Should we follow you?" Asks KF.

"Not yet, I'll tell you when." I whisper.

I sneak in stealthily, searching with night vision, a new feature in my goggles. I find a screen and turn it off.

It says, and I can't help but read it out loud. "Do cats always land on their feet?"

Suddenly I'm shooting up through an open hatch in the roof, up about a mile and screaming my lungs out, thrashing wildly.

I quickly regain my composition. I'm over water, and there's a pole on that building. I take off my knife sheath and drop it next to the entrance of the building and take out my whip. I refuse to be a little black splotch on the ground.

As soon as I'm in range, I lash the whip, catching onto the pole, and it slows my descent, but almost pulls my arms from my sockets. It's safe to land, so I do, in a roll, and get up, badly shaken, in front of the team.

"I think I'm goanna be sick." I say.

"What was that? One minute you're in the building, the next you land from a mile or so up in the air and LIVE?" KF asks

"You mean you missed the hatch in the roof opening and me being shot up into the air, screaming my lungs out, at about 100 miles per hour?" I ask, anger building in my voice. How am I supposed to trust my team is they miss the obvious like that?

"I thought I heard something." Zatana tried.

"I almost died!" I yelped. Now I know how much I can trust my team, with flying members, who could've easily caught me. I shake my head. "Whatever, let's go in, and watch out for booby traps."

We all enter, and I do the same thing as last time, except avoid the screen, which now says, 'Can fish drown?'

"Aqualad, Get out of here!" I shout.

But he's already staring at the screen. The floor opens beneath him and his gills are covered by a metal band as he drops.

I growl. They may not have helped me, but I'll save them.

I dive, putting a breather in my mouth as the hole fills with water. He's dropped his water bearers and is struggling to breathe.

I hand him one of mine and grab the dagger in my boot that didn't get obliterated and began to take the hinges off the hatch doors.

Aqualad is trying unsuccessfully to get the band off his neck.

Man am I glad I'm wearing goggles, this is salt water.

Suddenly the water was becoming devoid of oxygen, and I curse, discarding the breather. I can hold my breath for a good five minutes.

I'm on minute two trying to disable the machinery when oxygen runs out.

In sign language, I ask him how long he can hold his breath. He gives me a discouraging thirty seconds. Yikes.

He is inhaling water, with his lungs, when I finally break us out.

"I guess the answer to that question was a yes." A voice says as I pull Aqualad out of the water and am about to destroy the band over his gills with a conveniently placed blowtorch.

I realize that Riddler has us trapped. My teammates are off who know where, and it seems like I'm the only person I can trust.

Aqualad is vomiting the water. It's a depressing sight, to tell the truth, an Atlantian almost drowning.

"Hand over your weapons and put your hands in the air." He says, and then adds, "I'm sure you could escape, but fish boy?"

I sigh and put my whip and dagger, which is now rusty, ion the ground in front of me and surrender.

Batman is going to be pissed that I got us into this mess. Good thing I still have my claws, which Riddler has forgotten about.

They take Aqualad's last water bearer and put guns on us. We exchange looks, his face a bit pale from his near death experience in the place he should've been strongest.

"And I thought Cats didn't like water. Fishing?" Asks Riddler, looking at me.

I want so bad to wipe that smug grin off the lunatic's face. "You won't be smiling for long, Riddler." I growl at him.

The riddlemen grab me and tie my hands and feet together, and then do the same to Aqualad. We were then tied to posts above a tank of water with sharks in them, with Aqualad's metal neckband still in place.

"I never thought that I'd be afraid of water." Aqualad mutters.

I snort. "It's a change, huh?"

He nods.

I guess Riddler may have forgotten my claws, but his men didn't. they tied my arms behind me in such a way that I couldn't claw the ropes off.

"Batman's goanna be pissed." I say, "Remember the no near death experiences rule he set for us?"

"It seems we cannot leave the cave without something happening." Aqualad says.

"Well, at least I'm not the one who almost died this time. We keep cutting it close, and it's usually you dragging my butt out of it. Other way around this time, huh?" I ask.

He thinks for a moment, and then remembers he was about to die when I dragged him out of his natural habitat. His skin is still a bit pale from the experience. "I guess it was."

"So what now?" I ask, "Fearless leader?"

He grins at my use of the title. "Now we wait for the rest of the team, or heaven forbid, Batman and the league, to come get us."

"Your plan sucks Aqualad." I say.

"No kidding." He replies, "But I'd like to see you come up with anything better."

I squirmed in my ropes, trying to reposition my hands. Failing, I sigh. "Nope, my escape plan was my claws. Seeing as I can't use them at the moment, I have no plan."

"So we wait." Aqualad says.

I wish I could at least turn my head.

Soon, I can see daylight filtering in through the skylight that I took my first flight through.

"Surely by now they know we're missing." Aqualad grumbles.

My wrists are raw, and so is everywhere the rope presses against. Aqualad's skin turned back to its normal color after he slept last night.

I did not sleep. Aqualad was stupid to do it in my opinion, but he was just traumatized, so I let it slide.

"I think I'll die of boredom before I starve, if they don't." I mumble.

"Perhaps they are preoccupied?" Aqualad asks.

"Well, the league is on a mission, and I'm guessing everyone got a riddle, so they're all probably going to come get us, or they think we actually did drown, and are mourning our loss or whatever." I say, being the voice of negativity.

It takes an hour before Aqualad says, "I am beginning to think they DO actually think we drowned."

I would've face palmed if I could. I would kill to do ANYTHING but sit here and do nothing but be negative and wonder what was going to happen next.

Then the sharks swam out of the tank below us, and instead of water, it filled with styrophoam, which was wet. Our pole was dropped into the pile of green foam.

We scream in surprise as we drop, and then the two of us are pulled out by Riddlemen. Selina's going to slaughter me. I HAD to go and play the Batman card, I HAD to disagree with Wally…

As soon as I'm untied, my legs are wobbly from lack of use, but I spring to my feet and try to kick Riddler in the head, only to be restrained by one of the Riddlemen.

I. Hate. Riddler. May his soul rot in hell when he dies and may his skin fester and burst with pores in the land of the living, may his teeth rot from his skull and he suffer a horrible diseased death…

Shall I continue? I really don't think it's necessary.

I'm thrown in a crate, and now I actually miss the pole. I hardly fit in here at all! I hate being helpless!

But now I can use my claws…

As soon as I'm loaded in the back of a big truck and they start driving, leaving me unguarded, I claw at the framing in front of me to weaken it, and contort my body to kick the side off.

"Aqualad?" I ask.

"Over here." He says, and I follow his voice to another crate, slightly larger than mine, and pry it open with a crowbar.

"Thank you." He says as I help him out.

"I hate being captured, let's never do this again." I say. I try and open the back of the semi, but can't. I swear loudly. "Locked from the outside!"

He kicks at it, and then leaps back, limping, and winces, holding his foot.

"That metal band is an inhibitor collar!" I gasp.

"Apparently." He says, groaning and hopping around on one foot. In any other circumstance, I would've laughed at this.

I reach the center, where the lock should be, and tried to stick out my claws, only to find that they weren't there. I lost them in the wood!

"Damn, my claws." I swear, and then find the little rocks that were cracked and dull in a heap next to the wood.

"Can you get this off?" Aqualad asks, eager to have the inhibitor collar off him.

I examine it as best I can, and find a scanner. These guys are taking very few chances with us.

"Ugh, no. I'd need a computer to even try, but there's a scanner key on the back of it. I'm actually proud they think so highly of us." I say.

"You trained with the Bat for a few weeks, and Catwoman even longer. I think they only fear your escape skills." Aqualad says.

"You want to know what the worst part of being captured is?" I ask, and before he can answer, I say, "The fact that they give you absolutely nothing to do. They just make you sit around and wait the whole time until they get what they want. Jeez."

"That or they try to make you talk, and all you want is to be left alone." Aqualad says.

"I guess you're right. I just wish I knew where we're going. I know we're out of Gotham by now, and we're traveling on Interstate 90, and we're heading inland. The only question is why are we being taken that way? Second worse thing is the suspense, and third the carsickness. I'll be in that far corner if you need me."

"Carsickness?" Aqualad asks.

"Makes you want to throw up, a form of motion sickness." I say over my shoulder. My stomach is churning. Why oh why couldn't we just take a boom tube and be done with it?

* * *

Mount Justice

"They can't be dead! We never even looked for bodies!" Robin said angrily. "Thanks to you guys ditching them, they were probably captured."

"What possessed you to go after Riddler in the first place?" Asked Batman, giving them the bat glare. Catgirl was like his informal protégé, and Aquaman was standing with him, imitating the bat glare about his protégé, who was more of a family member to him.

"Um…" Beast Boy started, "Aqualad and Catgirl decided it would be a good idea to tie the loose ends, and everyone but KF agreed with them."

The two mentors swore. They both realized that they should've known, both were known to disobey orders, or stretch them to fit their purposes. Catgirl also had a tendency to bad luck, and Aqualad could be brought down, no matter how tough the kid was.

"Dismissed." Batman says, "Except for Beast Boy, Batgirl, Blue Beetle, Superboy, Miss Martian, and Robin" Batman instructed. "We're going to find out if they survived, and if they did, where they were taken."

* * *

Back in the middle of nowhere

I've managed to keep track of every turn we've made. We're now in the mountains, and it has been four freaking hours since we left!

The truck stops, and I move away from the corner and prepare to attack with Aqualad. The door only opens enough for someone to through a container of tear gas in.

IT BURNS!

I'm tearing up, coughing, and my body stings, but my eyes feel like they're on fire. Aqualad seems to be having a similar reaction.

We're dragged out, tied up, and given the antidote. I'm glad when I can see and when I'm not tearing up or in pain, but I still hate the people responsible.

They open up a boom tube.

I feel like cheering. They're finally getting it over with!

I don't after Aqualad and I are thrown through, though. There are little green aliens on the other side, and when our captors come through, they drag us into a cage full of civilians.

"Oh my God, that's Aqualad and Catgirl!" One of them gasped.

"Yep. It's us. Whoopdey Friggin Doo!" I growl. "Hey, let us out of here!"

"You mean, you're not faking it?" Asks one woman.

"Nope. How long have you been here?" I ask.

"Two days." She says.

"Then you obviously haven't heard about the Gotham incident." I say, and bite my lip. "Does anyone have a pen, or pencil, or anything long and hard" I ask.

"Why would you want anything like that?" Asks one of the civilians.

"Because I can make Houdini jealous if you do." I inform him.

One of the younger girls gets out a hairclip and hands it to me.

"I think I can make it work." I stick my arm out from between the bars and angle it right, then start working on the lock.

I do not expect the electric trap. I yelp as electricity shoots through me and recoil, gasping.

One of the little green aliens laughs at me. I give him the bat glare and he scurries away. I hand the girl back her hairclip.

"So much for that." A teenager says.

"Yup." I pop the P. "Well, looks like we're just going to have to wait… again."

Kaldur groans.

I lean against one of the bars.

"Could you quit staring?" I ask.

The civilians quit staring at the two of us, but the teenager asks "How can you be so calm?"

"Joker was worse. Plus, the main thing about being captured or kidnapped is that they don't give you anything to do." I tell her.

"I mean, they could do anything to us at any second…"

"I don't think they'll even the door with me in here." I reassure her.

"What about you, Aqualad?" She asks.

He shrugs and gestures to the collar.

"What is that anyways?" she asks.

"Stops him from using his powers." I say.

I'm exhausted, and I'm sure it's day two of no sleep. I pace to keep myself awake, thinking of all possible scenarios that could happen here, and how to deal with them, as in escape, get the collar off of Kaldur, get the citizens out, and leave with no casualties before returning and chewing out the league.

"Could you stop that? You're giving me a headache." A buff tattooed man asks.

"Sure." I say, and stop, standing by the bars, watching the aliens and shooting bat glares at every single one of them, while furious, humiliated, and wanting blood. It was even scaring the civilians, and they weren't even on the receiving end.

"Where did you learn that from?" Asks the teenage girl

"Batman." I promptly reply.

A few hours later, lots of people with watches say it's day three, and I have only closed my eyes to blink.

"When was the last time you slept?" Asks one of the adult women.

"Four days ago, the day before we were captured." I say.

"You should get some rest. Long periods of time without sleep cause brain damage." One man says.

"One of the first things I learned from Catwoman was to never rest while held captive." I say, "And truth be told, it's a good rule."

"I'll keep watch and wake you if anything happens." Aqualad says.

I sigh and give in, and am asleep the second I lay down.

I wake about three hours later and get up, feeling refreshed, as much as my internal alarm clock will allow, anyways.

I sigh, nothing changed, absolutely nothing. I resist the urge to start banging my head against a bar.

* * *

Catwoman was furious. "You lost my kitten!" She screeched, and her wrath frightened even Batman.

"She and Aqualad have been captured by a criminal organization called the light." Batman says, and the team was surprised to hear a touch of fear in his voice.

Well, as Catgirl had so conveniently put it, Bats are just mice with wings.

"I TRUSTED YOU ENOUGH TO LET MY DAUGHTER ON YOUR TEAM OF HEROES! NOW SOMETHING HORRIBLE IS PROBABLY HAPPENING TO MY KITTEN AND YOU'RE RESPONSIBLE!" Catwoman raged.

Beast Boy turned into a cat to try to calm her down.

She didn't even notice.

"Catwoman, we need you to tell us if you have any information on the Riddler!" Batman says, "He's the one who took them!"

She calmed down a bit. "Riddler, oh, yeah, he's been hiding in the abandoned military complex outside the city, waiting for you to show up, Batman. But if what you say is true, I'm GOING TO TEAR HIS EYES OUT AND SHOVE THEM DOWN HIS THROAT SO HE CAN SEE ME TEAR HIS STOMACH OUT!" She screeched.

"_She's even more protective over her kid than Batman over Robin!" _Megan thought to everyone but the two leaguers and Catwoman.

"_Batman is pretty protective, but I've never even heard of him like this! Usually when Catwoman's angry, she does the cold calm fury thing like Batman, I've never actually seen her lose her temper like this before!" _Robin told them.

"_Maybe it's a bad idea to be here right now." _KF says.

"_This is your fault, you running off as soon as the legless speedster thing came up. If you'd just told us something was wrong down there before running off and making us chase you, they'd be fine. Now tough it out." _Zatana growled mentally.

"Riddler's expecting you, not me. I'll go in and beat him up myself." She says, "My kitten was taken!"

"As was Aqualad. The two of us will go in." Aquaman agrees.

"_I don't care what they say, I'm going with them. I should've been on the Alpha Squad in the first place, I'm the best there is against Riddler!" _Robin informs the team. Catgirl was okay, she'd taken a bullet for someone and almost drowned to save Aqualad, but Aqualad was like an older brother to him. No way was he letting anyone take his older brother!

So the hunt began.


	8. The Hostages Part 2

The Invasion Part 2

**Hello readers! Yeah, so I couldn't fit this onto one chapter, as you can probably tell…**

**Anyways, I'd love feedback, so keep it coming. Enjoy the chapter and know I'm writing this at midnight.**

* * *

I would kill for a book right now. It seems that the initial terror experienced by the civilians has passed, and now everyone is just plain bored.

That is, until Savage decided to pay us a visit. Aqualad and I leap to our feet, but Aqualad is electrocuted and one shoots me with a tranquilizer dart before I can react. It's not enough to put me to sleep, but enough to keep me down.

Panic returns as they see the two best fighters get taken down.

I'm vaguely aware of being dragged out of the cell. Here's something to do, wonder what the Hell is going on.

Soon the effects of the drug wear off and I'm not in the base anymore, I'm in a cell onboard what appears to be a submarine. I can't see Aqualad, but it's clear that I won't for a while.

I can hide my emotions pretty well, but that doesn't mean I can't feel anything. Right now, under the mask of anger, I'm terrified. I have no idea where I'm going or why I'm going there, or what's going to happen to me once I arrive.

The first time was different, they were afraid of us. Now, they're not, and I know that means I'm probably not a threat at the moment.

As a guard comes and delivers food, I get into fighting stance to avoid shrinking back, eyes cold and anger spread across my face.

He shrugs at my reaction and walks away.

I know it isn't the best day, but it's been five since I've gotten any decent amount of sleep, and after I eat the food, I realize that I was starving too.

I pass out in a corner out of sheer exhaustion.

* * *

Aqualad POV

I can see Catgirl through the one way glass, but she can't see me. Every time no one is looking, she looks scared, like a normal kid. She masks shrinking back by preparing to fight when a man brought her food.

She ate it in a rush, and soon after that passed out in a corner. She looked so peaceful, but definitely not vulnerable like most people. She looked as taught as Artemis's bow string pulled all the way back, ready to snap if it came any further, she was a sleeping tigress, really.

I wish I could sleep. The fact of the matter is, I'm caught in suspense. I only eat the food I'm given because I'm starving to near death.

Soon, I realize that the food was drugged, and pass out in a corner as well.

* * *

Robin POV

I stare at Catwoman and Aquaman, who are below me, as they answer another riddle. I'm just waiting for them to get one wrong, it's only a matter of time. Then I jump in and save them, and then go beat the crap out of the Riddler.

They get it right, and a bomb is defused. They walk through a door and I follow them like a shadow and spot the endgame. It's a screen with two sides: Do cats always land on their feet, and can fish drown.

I know trouble is brewing, especially when it makes a third slot saying: Can baby birds fly?

I freeze, and the others whirl to face me. "You followed us? Batman specifically told you not to come!"

"We need to get out of here now!" I shout, but it's too late. A hatch opens up underneath Catwoman, an inhibitor collar closes over Aquaman's neck and he falls into a pool of water, and a hatch in the ceiling above me opens up, and I recognize Catgirl's challenge as I'm launched at an incredible speed.

There is no pole sticking out of the building, so I send a frantic message to the team. "Problem, I followed Aquaman and Catwoman and am falling to my death! HELP!"

I have no idea if it went through, because I've finished going up and am plummeting towards the ground, screaming my lungs out.

Riddler's such a one trick pony.

Suddenly, my descent stops an inch from the roof and ma being a robin pancake. Miss M lands next to me.

Then she drops me face down on the roof.

"Oww." I complain.

"What were you thinking?" Asks Batgirl, who darts up beside me.

"That I can do better than anyone else against the Riddler." I say.

"You almost turned into a red and black pancake!" She yells.

I get up shakily. "Thanks for the save."

Then I drop down the hatch, with my grappling hook, Catwoman is climbing up from her hatch with the help of Aquaman, who managed to get the collar off.

There are now coordinates on the screen. They're in, Los Angeles California. It also says, "You have passed the test, here you will find what you seek."

* * *

The submarine has stopped. I know that much when I wake up. My head feels weird, and I'm pretty sure the food and water was drugged.

I stand up and look around. The suspense is killing me! The fear is gone now, but I'm tingly with adrenaline. I need to move, I need to beat something up. I need to not go on a mission and get either captured or put in critical condition ONCE.

But I realize that being captured is probably the best thing that could've happened. I'm uncovering a whole league of bad guys. Sportsmaster, little green aliens, Savage, Black Manta, Riddler, and also a whole bunch of other stuff.

I can get more Intel here than I ever could on the outside. Now I'm inside, and I'm getting lots of good info.

Now I realize that they're all part of the light, which also consists of Ra's al Ghul, Talia Ghul, Cheshire, Psimon, Klarion, Joker, Mammoth, Teekl, and Match. I'm not sure about Red X.

The cell door open, and deciding to make an attempt to pacify them, I lunge and knock the guy out. The next guy takes out a tranquilizer gun and I kick it out of his hand, breaking a few of his fingers.

The alarms start going off as I finish the last guy. You know, I think I should try to escape. I dash over and bust Aqualad out, and then grab a key card from one of the guards and took off his inhibitor collar.

"What took you so long?" He asks.

"I don't have any weapons." I reply, and then say, "We're ten feet underwater, let's go."

Heck, I'm not even faking it anymore. I've got everything I need, so why stay? Well, why make Aqualad stay?

I don't know how far I'd make it, being unarmed sucks.

Aqualad kicks the hatch open and we're flooded with freezing ocean water. I hand onto the stair rail with Aqualad and wait for the hallway to fill up with water, alarms blaring.

Soon it does and we swim out. Black Manta is waiting, but we make it on land before he gets close.

We're under the golden gate bridge. That's the first thing I notice.

"Aqualad, climb!" I shout, going up quickly and using a piece of severed pipeline to deflect bullets. I realize my communicator will work now, and by that I mean my hidden backup one. I send a distress signal with it and complete the climb, and Aqualad helps me onto the bridge.

We dash off into the city, where we separate.

We regroup in civilian clothes; and I didn't have time to get shades.

"Promise you won't tell?" I ask.

He nods.

"I'm Katie Kyle, actually Katie Shirran." I inform him.

He nods. We're now just pretending to be normal civilians, simply blending with the fleeing crowds when Black Manta's troops arrive.

Soon we're on the city limits, and we're waiting for the team to show up.

"Wow, you really can't count on them, can you? I sent a distress signal and everything, they should've taken the zeta tubes here already and be kicking Black Manta's butt." I growl.

"That is usually the case." He says.

I look at the shredded remains of my costume. "I'll definitely need a new one of these."

"Wait, couldn't we simply use a zeta tube to get back to the cave?" Asks Aqualad.

I face palm. "Why didn't I think of that? Let's go."

So that's how we ended up trekking around the city for an hour looking for a Zeta tube, and eventually finding one.

Aqualad went first. "Resognized, Aqualad, B02."

At the sound, Manta's troopers dash over. Not letting them see my face, I dart in. "Recognized, Catgirl, B11."

* * *

The team looks shocked at our arrival. I have the goggles from my destroyed costume on, and it looks very out of place with the rest of my outfit.

"You made it back?" Asks Robin.

"No thanks to you." I grumble.

Catwoman grabs me instantly in a hug, and it's bone crushing. I squeak in shock, because she's at the Mountain, and she's never done this before.

She puts me down after a few seconds, and I stagger backwards.

Aquaman and Aqualad look happy to be reunited, as well.

"Why are you in civilian clothing?" Asks Aquaman.

"It is a long story." Aqualad says.

"My costume kinda got destroyed." I say.

"Where were you? We looked all over in Los Angeles and…" Beast Boy says.

"We were in San Francisco." I snap.

I decide I don't want to face the team who I feel let me down at the moment, so I say, "I'm heading back to Gotham."

I step through the Zeta tube again and come out in my home city, coming face to face with Artemis.

"Artemis? What are you doing in Gotham?" I ask her.

"Catgirl? What are you doing NOT dead or captured?" She asks me.

"Aqualad and I rescued ourselves. Stop changing the subject."

"I'm here visiting my cousin for the state spelling bee." She says.

"Did she w i n?" I ask.

"N O." She replies.

"D R A G." I reply, and walk away.

I had no idea at the time that she and Robin had had almost the same exchange a year or so ago.

As soon as I get home, I realize how long I've been gone: Six days. Luckily, two were weekend, and Monday was off. For the rest of the week, however…

I'm doing homework until sunrise and fake a cold for Friday.

* * *

I get a new costume and head back to Mount Justice, with a new gadget, as well. I have a lock pick in a compartment in my right shoe, and my claws are sharpened to the point of shining.

I don't speak to anyone when I arrive, except for Aqualad and Beast Boy.

"Don't you have school today?" Asks KF.

I give no reply, and instead head into the library.

"I know who you are now." He says.

Now I'll talk to him. "Who?"

"Katie Kyle." He says.

"Tell anyone and I'll skin you, Wally West." I say.

He throws his hands up. "Why are you so upset?" He asks.

"I was held captive for SIX DAYS Wally! For five of those six days, I was counting on you and the team to rescue Aqualad and I. How am I supposed to be on a team I can't rely on?" I growl.

His head lowers. "I'm sorry. For two of those days we thought you were dead. We hunted down the Riddler on days three and four, and he spilled that you were in Los Angelas. We looked there on day five, and we found a base of aliens with hostages. We freed them and searched the city again. We got back just before you did."

"I sent out a distress signal! I was counting on the team to answer it. We were cornered by Black Manta's soldiers and I've uncovered a whole ton of members of the Light! I almost didn't make it out at all!" I tell him, and then shoulder him aside as I walk away.

I'm up in the rafters when they decide to talk about it. Aqualad is helping Aquaman in Atlantis, so he can't hear this.

"She hates us for this! She even says she sent a distress call, and we didn't answer. They were counting on us, and we let down two teammates!" Wally says.

"How can we make that up to them? I know Catgirl only trusts us enough to be around us anymore, and I heard her chewing out Wally." Superboy asks.

"Aqualad is probably over it, but the problem is, Catgirl is usually selfless. KF, you said that when Aqualad went down, she went in to help him. She took a bullet for my mother, you say she risked her life against the joker for her mother and Btaman, and now when she needed us, we didn't come through. What does that say about us?" Asks Beast Boy.

"It says we're selfish and unreliable." Batgirl replies, "And that it was a mistake for her to join the team."

I frown. I have been thinking exactly that, but to hear people I'm close to losing their minds over this, it hurts. They didn't come through because they couldn't, and I didn't accept that they were trying for almost the entire time.

I take the vent system to the main room, and I pick up a distress call off the systems. It's mine, the signal was horrible, and I blamed them for it.

"There's a distress call, who's is it?" Asks Robin, "Coming from San Francisco…"

"Mine." I say, and say, "That's my frequency. Apparently it never made it through. I'm sorry I chewed you guys out for it."

"You're apologizing? This system is falling apart, it's not your fault we didn't check the receiver. We should've been more reliable, and we should be apologizing." Blue Beetle says.

I'm about to reply when he looks at his back and says, "Yes, I am."

We all exchange glances. Blue is… different.

"Recognized, Aqualad, B02, Artemis, B06, Zatana, B07."

They step out of the zeta tubes.

I shrug and move on. We get a message from Batman.

"Team, report to the… You're already there, aren't you?" He asks.

"All here and accounted for," I say, "What's this about?"

"League memberships."

We all stop. "Rocket, Zatana, Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, and Miss Martian will be accepted into the league."

I don't feel offended; I'm barely a team member.

"YES!" Zatana punches the air, and Rocket celebrates, but the others exchange glances.

"I'm sorry Batman, but I'll have to decline." Aqualad says.

"I'm also declining." Robin says.

"I'm perfectly happy where I am." KF replies.

"I can say the same." Megan says.

"I'm not sure I want to be on the league." Superboy replies.

Batman can't hide his shock, and neither can the other league members. "What? Didn't you form this team in hopes of being on the league? Superboy, Miss Maritan, you'd both be accepted…"

"What part of no did you not understand?" Superboy asks, and it strikes me as quite rude.

Supenman blinks.

Zatana and Rocket look quite confused. Obviously wondering why they'd decline.

"Like KF said, we're perfectly happy where we are." Robin says. I sense something brewing between the two bats right now, and it's not good. Robin's sixteen, and probably deciding he's a bit old to be the boy wonder.

"You do realize what you're turning down…" Aquaman says.

"Yes, my King. I do realize what I am turning down." Aqualad says.

Batman sighs. "Then you will not be initiated into the league in two days with Zatana and Rocket."

"On other news, we have a mission..."

I can't believe that anyone could turn down an opportunity like this, I know when my time comes, I'll most likely accept.


	9. Things Change

Things Change

**Hello dear readers! I hope you're enjoying this so far, and that you'll review. After the initial parade of reviews, I stopped getting them. Most of them were flames anyways. *pouting face* **

**Anyways, here's the chapter!**

* * *

I stare at the screen in the Hall of Justice as the new league members are accepted. There's a new green lantern, Zatana, and Rocket being accepted. The green lantern is Guy Gardner. I think it's a weird name.

They're being handed their official league membership cards, and we're just watching.

The trio looks more than happy. I guess they deserve it. Rocket convinced Icon to become a hero in the first place, and Zatana lost her father to Doctor Fate, also a league member. I'm not skilled enough, as is the case with most of us.

Wally and Artemis quit 'the life' yesterday. I guess things change, and for me, rapidly. First, I'm a thief, next I'm a hero, then I'm on the team, after that I help Beast Boy be a hero, then my friends are accepted onto the league, and some decline, afterwards, two of my other friends quit being heroes, and now, I'm watching Zatana and Rocket move on.

We also have a new team member, Bumble Bee, aka Karen Betcher, protégé to the Atom. She's new, Like Gar.

All of this has happened in two years. I'm now fifteen, my birthday being yesterday.

I have to say, we've all grown. I'm three inches taller at five feet nine inches tall, in a difference from my thirteen year old five feet six inches.

I smile as I see the ceremony end. The TV turns off.

The new league members enter. "Congratulations Zatana, Rocket!" I say.

Everyone else chimes in, smiling, with words of congratulations and cheery comments.

"C'mon, there's a party at the watchtower to attend!" Captain Marvel says, smiling to the new members. They Zeta to the tower, leaving us here.

"Well, how about you head to the cave, and I go before I miss any more school?" Asks Robin.

"Sounds like a good idea, but we'll all have to go out of costume." I say. I can't afford to miss a lot of 10th grade.

* * *

We all disperse and I go to Gotham High. It's a very long day, and it seems that all I'm doing is getting things done five or six minutes ahead of everyone else, which helps for the catch up work in my other classes, which I still finish with time to spare.

I haven't cut my hair in a while, so it's down to my waist in length. After school, the first thing I do is get it cut to shoulder length. Long hair + hair-concealing costume = does not work.

When I return to the apartment, Selina left a note, visiting Holly, who, being a couple years older than me, is in college in Missouri.

I guess I'm fending for myself for a few days.

I look under my bed, where the supply of stolen necklaces and the golden cat still lay. I'd almost forgotten about them. I close the compartment and get up. My life is changing, like I said.

I get out the Catgirl costume. It's childish now, and looks too much like Catwoman's now that I've grown. Time to make a few adjustments.

First thing to change is the goggles. I replace them and the oval shaped design with one with pointed edges from Catwoman's old costume.

I also change the ears so they're smaller and dye the red insides black. The belt changes to, and I get rid of the skirt to just use the leggings. The little ankle high boots change too, I get more flexible ones from Catwoman's old costume to replace them, which are knee high. I also sew in dagger sheathes and get rid of the old battered one round my neck, and put extras in my utility belt.

I look at the new costume. It fits my age. I put it on and look at myself in the mirror. I don't look like a kitten anymore.

I get a buzz from my phone, and realize that it's from Batman, a mission.

I jump out of the window and leap across the rooftops, in my new costume, even. Soon I Zeta to the cave and arrive to se I'm not the only one with a costume change.

Robin is in a black outfit with no cape, a black utility belt, and a blue bird insignia across his chest and back.

"Uh, Robin?" I ask.

"Nightwing." He corrects.

I guess he and Batman finally ended it.

"Recognized, Robin, B10, Batman, 02."

Batman and a new Robin step out. This Robin is about fourteen, with more scraggly black hair and a green, red, yellow and black costume. He looks entirely more badass than Nightwing did as Robin.

I guess he's Nightwing's replacement, and Nightwing just stepped aside for Jason so he could take up the mantle.

Another new team member, I guess.

"As you all can see, the first Robin decided to become Nightwing," He gestured to his former protégé, "And now the mantle has been filled. This is Robin, your new team mate."

"Anyways, on to the mission."

New Robin takes his place amongst the team, and I give him a smile, sensing his discomfort. He grins mischievously right back at me. Oh, this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship…

"There has been an attempt on the young Queen Perdita of Vlatava'a life, and the assassin was identified as Cheshire. Also, Count Vertigo has escaped from prison and has been spotted in the area."

"Alpha Squad will consist of Nightwing, Superboy, Miss Martian, Beast Boy, Blue Beetle, and Bumble bee. Your job is to hunt down Vertigo."

Batman turns to the rest of us. "The rest of you, Aqualad, Batgirl, Catgirl, Robin, and in this case Wolf, will be Beta Squad. Your job is to guard Queen Perdita from another assassination attempt."

We nod, and head off to the Zeta tubes. Robin seems surprised that Wolf is smart enough to understand everything of what Batman just said.

I'm surprised he turns to me for answers. "They picked him up in India, genetically enhanced." I explain.

He gets the message.

We emerge from the Zeta tubes in Vlatava. Wonder Woman is waiting for us. "Team," She says, "I was injured in the fighting," And now I can tell. She looks like she was rolled over by a super-steamroller and then pumped back up like a balloon, but with too much air. As she steps away from the shadows, she's covered in welts and bruises.

"Cheshire was not alone. I couldn't tell who it was. Be on guard at all times. The attacks should stop when Vertigo has been taken out, but until then…"

She goes into the Zeta tubes.

We're informed that we'll be guarding her discreetly. Only a few of Perdita's guards know about us, so we'll cover surrounding buildings, surveillance, the works.

As we guard around the building, I really miss Miss Martian's Mental links and Artemis and Wally bickering over them.

So instead I engross myself in my own thoughts.

I know, and Batman knows, that I'm better at hunting, so why not send me with Alpha squad? Why give me the soft gig with Beta?

Well, he might've decided that since I usually come back with near fatal injuries that I needed to be out of the action for a bit, or that I've been injured and captured a lot and missed to many missions, or he did it so I could work on my guard skills.

Even if that's why he did it, I still would rather be the huntress instead of the guard dog.

"You look upset." Robin tells me. I've got to find out his secret ID, wait, didn't Bruce Wayne adopt another kid? Oh right, Jason Todd.

"Yep." I say, popping the p.

"Why is that?"

"I'm not a guard dog, I'm more of a huntress." I say, "And Batman gave me the soft gig, not the job where my skills could be crucial now that Zatana's gone."

"He has his reasons for everything." Jason tells me.

"Yeah, but they're usually not good ones." I reply. "I'm pretty sure that chatting isn't helping the covert part of our mission."

He nods and heads back to his post.

Deciding to make the most of my situation, I scan the area like a hawk, watching for a hunter to take the bait as Queen Perdita goes to the stage. She's just a little girl, twelve years old at most.

I see movement, and almost try to tell the team with a mind link, and then remember. I use my communicator. "Aqualad, by the dumpster in the alleyway below you, it's Cheshire!"

He spots the assassin and uses water from the manhole that she was so conveniently standing by and drags her into the sewers. He follows her in a moment later.

I smile and survey the area once more. Nobody noticed Cheshire and Aqualad. "I could use soma assistance."

"I'm coming Aqualad." I say, and dart over to his post, drop down, land like a cat, and then dart into the sewers. It stinks, but at least I'm fighting.

Aqualad and Cheshire are definitely going a few rounds, but Aqualad has two sais sticking out of his chest and is bleeding badly.

I attack my fellow cat person from behind, managing to give her a haircut as she dodged my blow. I land a kick to her head as she goes under me, and she falls into the sewer water, where Aqualad traps her in a block of ice.

"Thanks for the assistance." He tells me.

I didn't do much, but I nod back anyways. "Anytime. Um, we really need to get those out of you."

He winces as I pull out both sais at the same time. Then I drop them into the sewer system.

Suddenly, a shadow looms over us. It looks like a man, but I know who it is. Hawkman's villain, the shadow thief.

"Oh, damn." I say, and dodge the first blow as quickly as possible, but there's no room to move in here.

"Team, Aqualad and I are fighting the shadow thief in the sewers beneath the far east alley!" I tell them, "We need backup!"

Aqualad, to prove my point, does not avoid the next punch and is thrown into the side of the tunnel.

"This is Robin, I'm on my way, Wolf's with me."

"Batgirl here, on the way!"

Why did Batman only send one meta and a wolf with a squad of gothamites to fight the shadow thief? Why would he have the sense to put us up against the guy who beat up wonder woman?

A fist narrowly misses my head, and I claw open the costumed arm. Blood begins to flow as the shadow drew back, and Wolf arrives, launching himself at the injury and biting it.

"Okay Wolf, let's not cut his arm off." I say, and Wolf drops and attacks the other arm.

A birderang flied through a hole in the shadow thief as Robin 2 arrives. Batgirl takes the same entrance as Aqualad and throws a batarang, but it just goes through the shadow thief as a hole opens up in the shadow.

Aqualad regains consciousness and douses the thief, and the costume fizzles, returning to human size. Batgirl tries to tackle him, but he dives into the water, electrifying it, and then gets up on the other side, suit returning to normal, and goes through the manhole.

"He's going for Perdita!" I say, and leap up after him.

The crowd is screaming, and all of the guards' shots are going right through him. I throw a knife and it hits the arm I injured earlier, sticking in the fabric machinery of the suit. The thief lets out a silent howl of pain and retreats into the shadows, vanishing completely.

We all dart over to where he vanished, and I swear, angry that he got away.

"Well, at least you hurt him to the point that he won't be coming back here again." Robin 2 says.

"Maybe, maybe not." I say. "We should still stay here, in case the Light tries again. I don't think that the Shadow Thief could've beaten up Wonder Woman."

"You mean, you believe that someone else was here previously when Wonder Woman was defeated?" Aqualad asks.

"It's possible, meaning we need to be on guard. Next time will be worse." Batgril says. Wolf growls his agreement.

Soon Cheshire, for the first time in history, is off to prison in Belle reve. We would celebrate, but our job isn't done yet. Alpha squad has yet to achieve their objective.

We spend all day guarding Perdita, and no more attempts come. Alpha squad is coming close, but not cutting it. I should be there with them, and a meta should be here helping Beta.

No attack comes until she goes to sleep. That's when Black Adam shows up, which confuses me immensely. I guess the Shadow thief and Black Adam are members of the light too.

I throw a knife at him as he descends from the sky, scoring a hit. Now I have six knives, plus the two in my shoes. Black Adam's rocket like attack was thrown off for a moment, and enraged, he pulls the dagger out of his side and comes after me.

I gulp and leap to the side just in time to avoid becoming kitty splat on the building, and Black Adam crashes through the ground where I had been previously standing.

"Catgirl to Batman, We've got Black Adam here!" I say, and then notify the team, "Catgirl to team, I'm fighting Black Adam in the west side parking lot, I NEED BACKUP!"

I duck as he tries to hit me in the head, but he kicks me hard in the chest while I do so, and I go flying, gaining several cuts and bruises as I skid along the pavement. I dig my claws in and come to a screeching halt ten feet away, and leap back off the ground to avoid Black Adam's fist to the pavement where my head had been.

He swings at me like a maniac with shocking speed and strength. Wolf leaps onto his back, but is thrown into the windshield of a shiny limousine. Black Adam reverts his attention to me…

Or rather, where I had been a moment before. I claw his back as deep as I can, leaving a bloody trail and very dull claws, like I was cutting through steel.

He lashes out at me, and I duck and leap, avoiding the follow up kick and landing five feet away in a graceful aerial flip.

Batgirl arrives and throws a batarang at the clawmark. It sticks, and makes Black Adam roar in fury. "Pathetic children!"

He rips the batarang from his back and whacks Batgirl in the head with the thing, sending her flying backwards.

Aqualad arrives then, and sends a torrent of water at the villain. It freezes him in it, but Black Adam simply flexes his muscles, breaks it, and lunges at an incredible speed, slamming my teammate into the side of a minivan.

Robin 2 throws an explosive disk at Black Adam, who gets off of Aqualad, who was definitely not waking up anytime soon, and throws himself at Robin.

Rob can't take that kind of damage, so I throw another precious knife at Adam, hitting him just below the collarbone. That kind of hit would be fatal to a normal human.

Black Adam, however, just howls in incredible pain and staggers, tearing it from the injury. Blood flows freely now from my claw wound, the batarang impalement point, and both places I stabbed him.

Wolf launches onto his back and bites the two wounds caused by Batgirl and I, and Black Adam goes down.

I stare at the villain in shock; we actually took down another of the Light's main bad guys.

Robin, Batgirl and I whoop and punch the air, and Wolf lets out a victorious howl. I remember Aqualad then, and race over to my injured friend.

He wakes up with a cough as I splash him with water from the puddles on the ground. "We won." I inform him.

He smiles. "Great work."

I help him up, and we securely tie up Black Adam, and hand him over to the police.

My earpiece buzzes. "Batman to team, Alpha squad completed their objective. Did you succeed in protecting the queen?"

"Yes, we did." Aqualad says, "Although we could've used some help against Black Adam."

"BLACK ADAM!"

"Apparently you didn't get my message." I say.

"Return to the cave." He says.

We Zeta back for a mission debriefing.

* * *

"Please explain why you returned with all these injuries." Batman says.

I step forwards. "Well, first it was only Cheshire and the Shadow thief…"

"THE SHADOW THIEF?"

"Well, yeah, he kinda got away, though." Robin says, "But Catgirl and Wolf almost cut his arm off."

I shoot him a furious glare and say, "And then the next day, Black Adam shows up, and we beat the crap out of him, he goes to prison with Cheshire."

I believe we were underestimated. By Batman, the League, and everyone in the Light.

Alpha Squad is equally surprised. We took down three major villains, even if one of them got away.

* * *

After the debriefing, we return home. I do catch up work all day the next day while in class, and it annoys the crap out of my teachers that I can do all these assignments and get As on them after being late and absent a whole ton.

When I come home, Selina has returned, and hearing about my heroic mission and the fact that I wasn't even hurt this time, apart from a few scratches and bruises, buys me something really cool for my Catgirl persona, a bunch of smoke bombs and explosive throwing knives, and all of my knives are claw shaped now.

"I'm so proud of you!" She says, hugging me. This has to be the first mission I've been on that doesn't result in disaster.

Oh, and I'm sure you're wondering what day of the year it is: February 23.

* * *

As the sun goes down, I head out to patrol Gotham.

I stop a bank robbery, a museum heist, and find something I know I can use as an opportunity to up my ranking in the team, a scarecrow case.

A group of people drank water infected by fear poison, and I got them to the hospital in time, after isolating the water container. I know Scarecrow's work when I see it.

Step one; find out where the water came from. I follow the tubing in the sewer system until I get to the point where it reaches one of Gotham's minor water reservoir, a small one near the mountains.

I find that the people running it are all under fear gas hallucinations, and knock them out, tying them up so they can't hurt themselves.

Next I look around, and find what I'm looking for.

"Surely this must've reached the press by now, the test has to have worked. Are you sure you're monitoring all frequencies?" Scarecrow asks his henchman, who nods vigorously.

"Nothing yet, boss. Must be slow working."

"Agh, up the juice on the next one and we'll try again."

"I don't think so, Scarecrow." I say, announcing my presence.

"Who are you supposed to be? That wannabe Catwoman gone bat?"

I throw a knife at him, and he yelps as his mask comes off.

"Can Catwoman do that Crane?" I ask.

At the mention of his real name, he gets angry. "Get her! We can test the new serum on the brat!"

I dodge the first attack, ninja kicking him in the back of the head. Scarecrow is preparing his formula. There are three guys. He's underestimated me.

I punch out the next one, and throw the last one into the lake.

A syringe plunges into the back of my neck. I hear a bang as it happens. I yank it from my neck, groaning. I shake my head to clear it. I make my mind blank as I can.

He smiles at my face. "This is the new, improved, fear poison."

I attack, and punch him out. He didn't expect me to last this long, obviously. I call the police and say that scarecrow is attacking in the voice of a worker, and then the hallucinations begin.

I see my brother on the grassy plane again. I scream a warning all over again, and see him die. But this time, his spirit soars up.

"You could've saved me! You're weak, you're pathetic…" His jeering voice comes up all around me. I watch my parents' car fly through the air again, I see the ground rushing up at me, and more voices join his. My parents say that they died because of me, my team mates call me weak, Batman scorns me.

Now I see Beast Boy's mother, except I do not save her. Their voices echo around me. "You could've helped her! You could've saved me! You're weak! Selfish!"

I can hardly take it anymore. I'm sobbing, screaming it's not true.

And then it stops. Slowly, but it ends.

I pry my eyes open.

I'm staring into the mask of Batman. Robin, Nightwing, and Batgirl are nearby.

"Ugh, that stuff is strong." I mutter.

"What made you think you could take on Scarecrow alone?" Asks Batman.

"Well I did, didn't I? I even called you in when I got hit." I say, "And you never even picked up the case, so I felt obliged to take care of it myself. I'm in the batcave, aren't I Bruce?"

"You know his secret identity?" Asks Robin 2.

"I've known it for two and a half years." I say, "And I know who all of you are as well."

He blinks. "He told you?"

"I found out who Nightwing is, and it was fairly obvious from there." I tell him.

He nods.

I sit up and say, "So Bats, can I go now?"

"It's not all the way out of your system." Batman informs me. I sigh. I've never been to the Batcave before, though, so I look at it in detail.

Now, Jason just has to go ruin my mood further. "You were screaming about your parents and brother."

I stiffen. "Never ask that again."

"They died, didn't they?" He asks.

"Yes, they're dead. Now shut up." I growl, not willing to make my reopened wound bleed further.

Of all people, Nightwing notices my pain, and knowing what fear gas and poison can put a person through, he says, "Let's not talk about it," placing a hand on Jason's shoulder.

"Alright, done." Batman says, and I'm up and out of there in an instant.

I buried those memories that Scarecrow took advantage of, my secret ID came spilling out. I had those under lock and key, and I've never even recalled them for years. It's been years since I even had nightmares about them, and he managed to get it to all come back.

It was a risk I took, and I still won. Scarecrow is in Arkam, but every victory has its costs.


	10. Parent Problems

Parent Problems Part 1

**Hello readers! I hope you're enjoying the story so far, and if you have any suggestions or comments, feel free to share them. **

**Does anybody think that it's strange that people who hate the OC idea decide to read my story anyways? Well, I do. To future Flamers, if my story is so horrible, why does my story have all the follows and favorites? P.S., maybe Catgirl as a character is unoriginal, but where I'm eventually going to put my OC is.**

**Thank you to the second guest review, and I'm glad you decided to speak up. It really makes me feel good.**

**Anyways, I have really nothing to say, so adios and enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

It was two weeks before the team, or specifically I, received my next mission, and I can't believe what it is. Some of the team are going to Atlantis with Aqualad and Aquaman in a covert strike against Black Manta and his new unknown allies.

That team's job, sabotage them in any way they can and find out who this new ally is. We may need to if Aquaman and the league are going to have any chance of stopping them.

The other team will head to the newest Cadmus base to take them down.

Now, Batman's handing out assignments. "Alpha squad will consist of Aqualad, Miss Martian, Batgirl, Catgirl, and Beast Boy. Beta Squad will consist of Nightwing, Superboy, Blue Beetle, Bumble Bee, and Robin. Alpha Squad will be led by Aqualad, and Beta by Nightwing."

I'm going to Atlantis.

Batgirl and I slip into modified costumes with oxygen masks over our mouths. It's high tech, but it beats a wetsuit with a space dome helmet. I can even keep the mask, and since my goggles are waterproof anyways, No eye protection needed.

We enter the Zeta tubes, and emerge underwater.

The change is sudden, and Beast Boy instantly turns into a white tipped reef shark. Miss M just grows gills and a tail. Aqualad smiles at us, obviously thinking we look funny.

"Hey, I can hold my breath for a grand total of five minutes, and I think this mission is going to take longer than that." I say, knowing that he has an even grander total of thirty seconds.

Aquaman shows up. "Ah, Aqualad, Catgirl, Batgirl, Miss Martian, and Beast Boy. You've arrived. I'm sure Bataman briefed you on the mission."

"He did, my king." Aqualad says. Jeez, all the formality!

"Then he told you about your three new team members, Aquagirl, Tempest, and Lagoon Boy." He says.

"We have new teammates?" Asks Beast Boy, who's still a shark.

"Apparently he didn't." Aquaman says. "Well, come on, you have a mission."

We all follow him, swimming through the water. I find this slightly amusing, because it makes me feel like I'm in a school of fish. Being me, though, I make sure not to display it.

When we come to the end of the passage, three people that Aqualad obviously knows are waiting for us.

"La'gaan, Tula, Garth?" He asks.

The rest of us exchange glances. Apparently, Fish boy here has heroic friends.

"No, Lagoon Boy, Aquagirl, and Tempest." Garth, I mean Tempest, replies.

Aqualad frowns. "I thought that you didn't want to be heroes."

"Well, we've been doing a lot of hero work down here anyways, so we took up names and decided to do it anyways." Lagoon Boy says.

Aqualad shakes his head, but accepts it. He didn't have this much trouble accepting it when I changed my ways, so apparently these people were really against hero work.

We moved on, and Aquaman showed us what we would be infiltrating. It was a rock fortress, but it looked like a cicada, which is really strange. He gives us a map with all of the entrances that they'd been able to find so far, and informs us that inside, one of his troops reported that there was no water.

Yes, no need for this dopey water mask once I'm inside!

"We don't have any information regarding the layout of the base, so you'll have to find that out for yourselves."

"_Does anyone else think this mission was a little, you know, unplanned?" _Miss M asks.

"_Whoa, did I just hear you think?" _Tempest asks over the link.

"_Mental link, you get used to it." _I explain.

"_That doesn't make it not creepy." _Lagoon Boy says.

"_That's what I thought at first, but now it's crucial to our missions." _Batgirl informs them.

"_Who managed to pull this off?" _Aquagirl asks.

"_I'm telepathic." _Miss M says.

"_Oh well. Forget the use of maps or how creepy the link is, we should be focusing on the briefing." _I say.

"_Exactly." _Aqualad agrees.

The mental chit chat does not cease; thanks mostly in part to Beast Boy, who has only experienced the link once, and is chattering to his sister.

Soon the briefing is over, and we'll wait for the attack to start before going in. I'm determined to not have anything bad happen to me, like it does with most missions.

We get into position and wait for the Atlanteans to attack the fortress in order to draw out the enemy forces.

"_So, in the place of a map, what do we use to navigate?" _Asks Tempest.

"_I hack into a computer, get the blueprints and technical readouts on a screen, memorize them, and then we go to the central computer, which every good base has, find out who the ally is, and turn this place into a time bomb." _I say.

"_You can hack?" _Asks Lagoon Boy.

"_As a matter of fact, yes I can." _I reply.

The Atlanteans attack.

"_Prepare yourselves." _Aqualad says.

We're ready to go.

The enemy goes out in force to fend off the attack, and we swim into the nearest entrance.

I take off the mask and retract the fins on my costume, and Batgirl does the same. Thanks to the water barrier, none of us are wet.

I see a computer port and go for it, hacking in as fast as I can. I memorize both the map and the technical readouts as fast as my hacking skills can allow and shut it off.

"Okay, now what?" Asks Beast Boy.

"Well, they have a few hundred more bozos down each hallway, but no security in the vent systems." I say, "Since we're going for covert, I say we take the vents before the patrol scheduled to come down here in three minutes arrives."

"You memorized security systems to?" Asks Batgirl.

"No, but it's inlaid with the technical readouts. C'mon."

I leap, push off the wall, grab the vent shaft above me, kick it open, and contort my body to land inside. Miss M flies in and so does Beast Boy. I help the Atlanteans up, and we're in a vent the size of a mini hallway. It's four feet high and wide.

"Okay, which way now?" Asks Aqualad.

Aware that I'm guiding the mission, I say, "This way, and try to make as little noise as you can."

We dash mostly silently to a crossroads, and I pick the north fork. It narrows by a foot, and being used to small spaces, I can just duck down and run. Beast Boy can turn into a mouse and run with me, and Miss M can continue flying.

The Atlanteans, however, are an exception. Tula is doing what I am, but Garth is uncomfortable, and so is Kaldur, and Lagoon boy, being a taller guy, is also having difficulties.

It slows us down a great deal.

As we get closer to the center of the base, where the central computer is, the vents get smaller. It shrinks another foot, and I review the layouts in my head again.

"About a minute more and we can get out of these." I inform them, "You know, to avoid the security and guard patrols. As soon as we're out, I think I'll just hack the security systems and turn them all off.

"Why didn't you do that before now?" Asks Lagoon Boy.

"Because, genius, it would've alerted them to our presence here. The halls would be swarming with the force, which would've retreated, and we'd never make it to the central computer. Now I can because we're almost there anyways."

He frowns at me. I can still go pretty fast in a two foot tall and wide vent, and beast boy can as well, but for the others, we have to wait at the end of the three foot vent.

As soon as the patrol leaves, I take the vent cover off and jump down, then motion for the others to follow. First comes Aqualad, then Tempest, and after that Aquagirl. Next comes Beast Boy who flies down as a hummingbird and turns into a human on the ground.

Tempest jumps and lands unsteadily, and Miss M comes, and after her, Lagoon Boy.

Now I notice something, we've lost Batgirl.

"_Batgirl, where are you?" _I ask.

Stress crosses the faces of the other heroes when no reply comes.

"_Keep going, use this flash drive to take the info from the computers and get out, I'm going to find Batgirl!" _I tell them, and race down the hallway, grabbing a computer port and hacking it. I'm not flawless, you can see where I've been, unlike Nightwing, curse his name.

I find out that Batgirl left the tunnel earlier on and found something a floor or two down.

I race in that direction.

A guard patrol rounds the corner, and I attack before they start shooting, but one triggers the alarm before I can stop him.

I knock him out, but growl to myself. Sloppy, this is exactly the kind of behavior that puts my life at risk, I'm completely impulsive.

I make it to Batgirl's last known location to see her fighting Black Manta. I lash out with my whip and take the gun away from him with a cry of, "Batgirl, what are you doing?"

"Taking down Black Manta!" She replies.

I jump and kick Manta's mask, and then back flip away from him, landing at a safe distance. Batgirl throws a bunch of exploding disks, which sends Black Manta flying right at me.

Now that was sloppy. I barely dodge in time to avoid being crushed between him and the wall. "Careful!" I shout.

Now I realize that Batgirl is not a very experienced heroine, I have a year more than she does, and being a sidekick, she doesn't ever get into the thick of it like this.

"Sorry!" She shouts.

Black Manta is up again, and this time he shoots lasers at us from the eyes in his mask. I dodge frantically, and he misses and moves on to Batgirl.

I have to get that mask off of him.

It won't be easy, everyone, hero and villain alike, are very touché about their masks.

First thing I do is grab his neck with my whip, yank him towards me, leap into the air, and kick him in the throat as hard as I can. Oww, my foot hurts!

I'm having a hard time believing I dented the metal that badly. It's strangling him. He has no choice but to pull it off.

I gasp when I see his face, not only because he looks like an older, dark haired version of Aqualad, but because he's human!

"Clever girl." He says, and I realize he's more like my friend with every passing second.

Now he's firing missiles at us from hidden compartments in his suit. Batgirl and I dodge, and we both throw knives and Batarangs at him in perfect synch.

My two knives stick in his missile compartments, one of Batgirl's Batarangs bounces off the armor, and the other one sticks in the metal next to his head.

He hasn't stopped firing missiles when it happens, so the left side of his suit is torn open, and he staggers to the side.

More of his troops rush in, and the alarms are going mad.

"_Catgirl, Batgirl, the fortress is about to explode in two minutes! Where are you?" _Aqualad asks.

"_Fighting Black Manta and his troops on the main level, where are you?" _ I ask.

"_Outside, at a safe distance, hurry and get out of there!" _Beast Boy shouts.

Batgirl and I take out explosives and blow open the window, put our masks on, and swim out as the compartment fills.

Black Manta is helped out, and a mini sub shoots away. The two of us Gothamites make it to the group just as the thing explodes.

"You made it!" Beast boy says happily.

"Where were you?" Asks Aqualad.

"Where I said. When I went after Batgirl here, I found her fighting Black Manta. We went a few rounds but ended up winning before Manta's troops showed up, which is when you contacted me." I reply.

"Glad to know you're safe." Miss M says, but Aqualad is frowning. He knows something shocked me, that I was left momentarily disabled by something, and it wasn't physical. His expression clearly says that we'll be having a chat about it later.

We head back to Atlantis and the Zeta tubes, and our new teammates are coming to the surface with us.

When we arrive at the cave, Beta Squad has returned and looks quite bored.

"This is where you live?" Garth asks.

"Not most of us." I say.

He frowns. "I thought that the surface world would be more, you know, exposed to the sky."

"That's because we're in a cave, silly!" Miss M says. Beast Boy is laughing.

Garth looks momentarily embarrassed but gets over it.

"Well, Bats here for debriefing of what?" I ask.

"He debriefed us, and says Aquaman debriefed you. He left an hour ago." Nightwing says.

"What's wrong? Sad you got the soft gig?" I ask, cackling, and say, "Well, I'm going back to Gotham. See ya!"

I walk through the Zeta tubes, emerging in the city of crime that I just happen to live in. I had three goals:

Leave before Batman can realize Aquaman didn't debrief us.

Avoid an awkward conversation with Kaldur

Not have to go on the tour with the Atlanteans. One time is enough.

I'd say that this was a fairly day. I didn't end up in the med bay, meaning my skills are improving, as are circumstances. I race around Gotham, looking for villains to beat up. The one thing in my way, Batman and Robin already took them out.

That's why I head straight home and get out of costume. Catgirl's been out to long, and the night is young, being only 7:00 PM. Plus, when was the last time I just did things for fun in public? My Catgirl side is getting to dominant.

* * *

I end up hanging out with Wally and Artemis at the bowling alley, and surprisingly, Jade, aka Cheshire, shows up as well. Hey, I'm in secret ID mode, I'm not taking her out, and Artemis and Wally quit. Nobody's judging her here.

After bowling, I head back to my apartment, and come in the door to find Aqualad waiting for me in the building.

"Oh, hi Kaldur." I say, and let him in. Man, maybe I shouldn't have told him my secret ID.

"Over the mental link, you were transmitting quite a strong sense of shock. I wanted to talk to you in the cave, but you left."

I sigh. "That's because it was just a personal observation. I put a dent in Manta's helmet to stop him from shooting lasers at Batgirl and I, and it was on the throat, so he had to take it off."

"And?"

"He looked like an older version of you, except with dark hair. Also, he was a genetically altered human." I say.

"An older version of me?" Aqualad asks, looking shocked.

"Now you see why I didn't want to say anything? Don't worry Kaldur, it was probably just a coincidence." I comfort him. Aqualad looks like he didn't want to hear that, but a thing about me; I don't lie easily. I think it's a coincidence, so that's what I say.

He believes me. "Let us just hope so."

"How're your friends?" I ask, changing the subject.

They're staying in the cave, but are still engrossed in the surface world. M'gann and Conner are giving them the official tour of Happy Harbor." He says, smiling.

My phone buzzes, a silent alarm went off at the warehouse at the docks. Perfect timing, this is an Awkward conversation. I still don't know how he knows where I live, he's not a detective.

"Hold on a sec, someone just broke into warehouse 27 in the docks. You know how to get there, right?" I ask.

He nods, remembering the last trip near there, and leaves.

I change into Catgirl and take the fast way out and land on the ground before he's out of the complex.

The reason, he became Aqualad. I wonder how he managed to do that, go into a bathroom and swim out the toilet? He is a fish…

When we arrive, I find myself facing the one person I do not want to fight: Catwoman.

She stiffens when she sees me. Now I know how Artemis feels.

"Kitten! Come to help out?"

"No, you know as well as I do that I gave up that life. I'm here to stop you." I say, swallowing the bile rising in my throat. Aqualad attacks from behind her, and she hisses, clawing his arm. That strikes a nerve, she clawed my friend.

I use my whip and catch her arm before she can land another blow, yanking her towards me. I feel sick as I launch myself in the air and kick her as hard as I can without breaking bones in the chest. She staggers back, swearing.

"You may have some new moves, Kitten, but you learned everything you know from either me or Batman." She says, "And I know all of his tricks."

I can't lose a family member, not like this, not again, I can't lose another family, I can't take this. This is the real life version of Scarecrow's poison.

Aqualad recovers from the injury and swings a watery hammer at my mother. They fight, and I find myself frozen, face contorted, confliction clear in my eyes.

Who do I chose? My friend or my family? The woman who saved me from a miserable future; or one of the best friends I've ever had? Crime or justice?

I can't move, my emotions are swirling inside of me. I made this choice a while back, I chose being a hero instead of a burglar like Catwoman, and I've grown a hero, but if I chose her, I lose everything I've had for two and a half years, meaning friends, and heroism, the justice league as a future, and a life of my own.

Catwoman is a thief, and I am a hero. I knew from the moment I chose this life that it would happen, that our paths would cross and I'd be forced to fight her. But back then, I'd never known how hard it could be.

I have my loyalties, but I'm being selfish. That's as bad as Miss M kicking puppies, unnatural.

I grit my teeth. I know what I have to do.

I let out a strangled cry and lunge.


	11. Parent Problems Part 2

Parent Problems Part 2

**Hello again readers! I'm sorry this is taking a while; I just decided to kill two birds with one stone, well, not literally. Don't worry, I didn't mean Nightwing or Robin by that.**

**To the guest reviewer who just posted: Guess what, I don't care if you're 18 or if you're my age, 14, or if you're 75 or 20. And please don't just review to this story to yell at other reviewers, I actually take the time to read these. Also, I was planning on writing a non-OC fan fiction after this one, but if you're going to be so rude about what I'm writing, I think I'll just scrap the idea.**

**To the other guest, again, please stop reviewing just to flame at other reviewers. As much as I love the moral support, I take the time to read these things and feel like banging my head against the wall when it's not to me.**

**Anyways, I hope you're enjoying the story so far (But I know flamers aren't), and why are you still reading this? Here's the chapter.**

* * *

My claws do not bury themselves in my intended target, Catwoman, and instead something hits me and I rocket into a pile of crates. I realize that it's Black Manta.

"Oomph!" Now him, I'll fight.

"You don't have Batgirl with you this time, kitty." He says.

"That's good for me; she did more harm than good. Without worrying about her, this will go a lot faster." I grin.

He shoots rockets at me, and I go for the helmet maneuver, but he grabs my foot and throws me over him. I land on my hands and spring to my feet.

"The same move won't work twice." Manta says, and I'm dodging tendrils of water from Manta's water sorcery or whatever it is.

I throw a knife at him, and it digs into the rocket compartment, disabling one.

He lets out an animal like growl and blasts at me with lasers. I flip over his head and kick him in the back, sending him right into Catwoman, who is sent reeling by a kick from Aqualad.

The two of us leap back in shock as they switch sides, and I find myself scrambling to defend blows from Catwoman. I hear grunts as Aqualad is outdone by Black Manta.

Soon we're thrown into each other, and then sent rocketing into another pile of crates. I let my claws come out and slash at both Manta and Catwoman, knowing my mother betrayed me, not the other way around.

I get hit in the head, hard, and my vision blurs. I fall over, choking up blood.

"To be truthful, I didn't expect you to come, kitten." My mother says. "I thought you were out with your friends."

"Yeah, then I got a crime alert and decided to check it out. I guess I wasn't expecting my mother to have joined my worst enemies!" I spit blood on her uniform and she leaps back, shocked.

"How hard did you hit her?" She demands to Manta.

"Hard enough to keep her down for a while." He says, "But, just in case…" He kicks me hard in the ribs, and I feel them break.

I let out a groan, and my face contorts to hide a scream.

"You will not hurt her!" Aqualad shouts, and I dimly see him attack Black Manta, who sidesteps, and Catwoman disarms him.

"It was really fun playing with you, fish boy, but your father would like to speak with you."

Aqualad and I both go wide-eyed and I find it extraordinarily hard to breathe. I blame the ribs.

Black manta steps forwards and, to my utter annoyance, takes off the helmet. I got thrown across the room trying to do that, and he was just going to take it off anyways!?

"No, Aquaman said…" Aqualad sputtered, taking a few steps back.

"Aquaman lied." Manta says, smirking.

Aqualad looks ready to panic.

I've lived through much worse than this, like being thrown through a freaking brick wall, and managed to stand afterwards.

I can do this.

I move one foot under me, and curl my lip, standing. I grab a knife and throw it as hard as I can, ignoring the pain. It strikes Manta hard in the back, and he yells in shock. I can see I penetrated the armor, due to the steady trickle of blood forming on his back.

The blade burying itself to the hilt in Manta's back.

They turn to face me. I growl savagely. "Did you just come to beat me up and psychologically torture Aqualad, or do you have a real reason to rob the warehouse?"

He growls and says, "What makes you think I'd need any other motive?"

"'Cause this is Batman's town too, Batman, Robin, Batgirl, and NIGHTWING!" I shout.

The mentioned hero lands a solid punch on Manta's face as he turns. Catwoman snarls and says, "Looks like birdie left the nest. Where's tall dark and handsome when you want him?"

Manta puts his helmet on and before anyone can react, shoots Aqualad in the chest.

It didn't kill him, but it certainly knocked him out.

I dart over to him, still ignoring the fire in my chest, and in a flash have a dagger out, throwing it at Manta's helmet. It sticks in the eye, but doesn't go far in, not far enough to cause any facial damage.

It scares the crap out of him though, and when he tears it out, the helmet is useless.

I lash my whip at Catwoman's, who was about to take out Nightwing. It soars out of her hand as I yank it to me.

"I suddenly regret teaching you that." Catwoman growls. Disarmed without the whip, and with his suit damaged, the Atlantean/human and Cat retreat.

Dick heads over to us. He sees our injuries and says, "Catgirl, you were careless. If you acted like a hero, neither of you would be in this mess."

"Tell me, if you had to stab Batman in the back or let him fight your friend, would you do it, or would you turn and run like the coward you are? Did you hear what he said to Aqualad? That kind of thing goes deep. Of course, you wouldn't get it; you're an emotionless, dead hearted Bat." I growl, shocked at his lack of compassion.

"You're an insolent fool, you know that? Rushing into a situation without knowing…"

"Well excuse me if I'm not a spoiled rich kid who knows who is doing what everywhere in Gotham. Aqualad and I picked up a disturbance, so we go in. Unlike you, rich boy, who waits until the situation has escalated out of control so you could make a dramatic entrance! You were watching the entire time!" I snap.

"Well…"

Aqualad groans. He's out cold, meaning there could be internal damage he can't tell us about. "Enough of this, he needs medical help."

I move to help him, but when I kneel I gasp in pain and fall on my side, clutching at my ribs. That was a _horrible _idea.

"Looks like you have internal injuries, too. How many ribs did he break?"

"About three, all on the left side." I say.

A loud sound like claws on metal rings out, and Shadow leaps towards me after sliding down the wall. He meows pitifully at me and rubs on my arm, purring.

"Hey Shadow." I say, and get off the floor, hissing through my front teeth as the action sent a fresh wave of pain through my ribs.

Batman shows up with the Batmobile.

"God, perfect timing. Think he could've showed up before the fight was over?" I ask.

Nightwing frowns, cocking his head. "For once, I agree with you. He's getting old."

Batman gets out of the Batmobile. "What's the situation?"

"Aqualad and I picked up a disturbance and decided to check it out. It was Catwoman and Black Manta. I got hit in the head and then the stomach, broke some ribs. Aqualad got hit by Manta's lasers when Nightwing showed up. Catwoman apparently joined the light." I say.

Batman obviously knows I left some things unsaid, like how the fight went, and how did they keep us still long enough to beat us up.

Before you know it, we're in the Batcave. Aqualad has a second degree burn on his chest, and I, like I said, have three fractured ribs, which, with my healing rate, should heal in a few weeks. As long as I don't laugh or choke, I'll be fine.

When Aqualad wakes up, we Zeta directly to the cave with an unspoken agreement: to confront Aquaman and see if what Manta said was true.

The team looks shocked at our appearance when we walk through, Aqualad with a huge bandage, me with a black eye and avoiding putting weight on my left side.

"What happened to you?" Asks Miss M.

"Is Aquaman here?" Aqualad asks. It's more of a demand. They notice we're both pissed off, so they tell the truth.

"Yeshe'sinwiththeTVwaitingforyoutoshowuppleasedon'thurtus!" Beast Boy says as fast as he can.

It's kind of hard to grasp, but the two of us are in the kitchen area in moments. Aquaman looks shocked at our appearance, and even more by the expressions on our faces.

"Are you alright? I got a message from Batman…" He begins.

"Do you want to, or should I?" I ask Aqualad.

"Aquaman, is Black Manta my father?" He asks.

Everyone in the cave had followed us, but now went dead silent.

Aquaman looked like he'd just been struck. He's shocked, but sighed, as if resigning to the truth. "Yes."

The team was gaping, open-mouthed.

"Well get out of here!" I shout at them, and not wanting me in a bad mood, they run, completely unaware that they could take me out by simply poking me in the stomach.

"How did you find out?" Asks Aquaman.

"You can say this part." Aqualad tells me.

Why am I even a part of this? Oh right, because this information would've been crucial in the attack. "Catwoman and Manta set a trap for us in an old warehouse at the docks. We went in and attacked Catwoman, and then Manta jumps out at me. They throw us around a bit, and then the canary sings. Secret's out, Aquaman."

He looked dumbfounded. I decide to let Aqualad rant at the scaly liar and head to the gym to let off some of my personal steam on an unfortunate punching bag.

I end up beating up everything in the room, ignoring the broken ribs, which burn like freaking _fire _in my chest. They only serve to fuel my rage. If either of us had known, neither of us would've frozen up. Maybe I'd have been ready for Manta and never have ended up with a broken rib!

I shred the thing with my claws after a few moments of hating the world, and then calm down. Aqualad is my friend, and I know what he feels like. It's my damn empathy doing this. My damn empathy made me take a bullet in the arm, my empathy shoved me into the ocean after Aqualad, my empathy caused me to not beat the crap out of the arrogant teen civilian when we'd been captured.

I'm too darn empathetic for my own good. I guess it's because I'd rather take all the pain instead of someone else having to endure it. This is also my anger at Selina for betraying me like that. When I'd spit up blood, she'd asked how hard I'd been hit, not if I was okay.

She couldn't give a damn anymore. She was a true criminal, gone off the edge insane. I guess my announcement that I would stop her was the last straw. I sit down, aware of the throbbing in my ribs still.

Not surprisingly, Black Canary came down to talk to me first. She is Ms Councilor of the J league after all.

"I know you're angry at Black Manta, but why are you so enraged? Maybe we can look for a solution to…"

"Because I'm too damn empathetic. I almost die every day because of it, and it's a personality trait you can't talk out of me!" I snap, and walk out. So much for cooling down. I do on the way back, though. Deciding not to wait for Canary to destroy my already depressed friend, I go talk to him first.

I find him right where I expect to find him, in his room, sulking.

"Can I come in?" I ask him.

"I expected Black Canary would do the councilor work." He says, glaring at the wall.

"Yeah, she kind of tried her so-called talent out on me and made me rage around like Superboy in a bad mood for an hour. I guessed I'd make sure she didn't go make you feel worse than you already do. By the way, how's that burn feeling?" I ask.

"Like hell. You know Atlanteans and fire don't mix." He informs me.

"Actually, no, not until now I didn't. I don't pry into my teammates' weaknesses. I mean, M'gann makes a big deal out of it, and everyone knows about kryptonite, but…" I let the sentence hang.

He nods at me. We hear a knock in the door and I shoot through the air vent, knowing who it will be. I give him a quick Cheshire cat style grin as I do so, still ignoring the ribs. There's a discreet cast under my uniform, stretching all the way around my body. It makes me really stiff, but I can still do this.

I stay in the vents over who knows which part of the cave until I get a buzz on my comm., Batman has a mission for us. Great.

I head out of the vent system and race into the mission room, also the area we get on and off of the Zeta tubes.

Aqualad shows up last, which is to be expected.

"Alright Team," Batman addresses us. I notice that Wonder Woman is here as well. There's also a blonde girl in a costume with her. We have a new team-mate.

"This is Wonder Girl, your new team-mate." Wonder Woman says, and the girl smiles at us. I hate to be rude, but she looks like a muscular Barbie.

Oh my god, the smile is just like Barbie too! I'm just waiting for her to speak in a high-pitched voice on a topic like love and friendship next. My first impression of her is that she's an idiot.

Instead, she just walks over next to us. She seems to have picked up my rather rude first impression of me, because she gets as far away from me as she can get. Maybe she doesn't like my appearance either.

"Now, back to the mission." Batman turns on the holographic display. "There have been worldwide disturbances across the globe recently, and since the League is stretched thin, we can't handle all the problems and the off planet threat.

"The first team will be in Taipei, looking for the reason that they had an off the charts earthquake but no tectonic plate movement. The League believes that the Light may have something to do with this, so stay on guard." Batman says.

"The first team, Alpha Squad, will consist of Nightwing, Wondergirl, Lagoon Boy, Miss M, and Batgirl. Beta Squad will head to the Quraci edge of the desert to find out why it froze, and to see if the Bialya had anything to do with it. You will be Superboy, Beast Boy, Bumble Bee, Wolf, and Tempest." Batman says.

"What about the rest of us?"Aquagirl Asks.

"There is also an off planet situation on the ruins in Mars. The Martians can't go near the area because of a telepathic disturbance driving them mad. The next team, Zeta Squad, will be led by Catgirl, and consist of Aqualad, Robin, Aquagirl, and Blue Beetle."

My eyes widen. Not only am I going to mars, but I'm leading a team! Thank God they stuck Aqualad in with me, he knows how to do this.

"What about their injuries?" Aquagirl asks, motioning to me and Aqualad.

"I'll manage." I say, and Aqualad doesn't even need to say that he'll be fine.

Batman programs something into the tubes, and I lead Zeta squad into them. As I emerge from the other side, I'm very, VERY, excited.

"Recognized, Aqualad, B02, Blue Beetle, B05, Catgirl, B07, Robin B010, Aquagirl, B11."

We step out and I hide my surprise at what Martians really look like. Of course, they're telepathic, so I can't really do that.

"_Hello Earthlings." _One says, _"My name is Kit'rinn."_

I respond, used to Miss M and the mind links. _"Hello Kit'rinn. I'm Catgirl, I'm sure you know the Justice League sent us to find out about the thing going on in the ruins." _

"_Who are you all?" _Kit asks the others. By her voice, I'm guessing she's a she.

"_I am Aqualad." _Aqualad says.

"_Aquagirl." _

"_Robin"_

"_Blue Beetle."_

As soon as introductions are finished, we get down to business.

"_As you know, there have been disturbances going on in the ruins. They started recently, and a few of our people have seen fire. It does not, however, explain the telepathic repelling force being emitted from the area. I can take you in a bioship as close as I, and the ship, can take you to the border of the disturbance. You'll be on your own from there." _Kit informs us.

I nod, and we get on a bioship, except this time its war like with green and yellow patterns on it, unlike the joy riding red and blue one we sometimes fly on. The seats are the same, and Kit'rinn pilots.

We make most of the journey in silence, but I can tell that Aquagirl and Kit are talking on and off for the entirety of it. I can see smoke from here, and realize that the Atlanteans might be at risk. I shoot a worried look at Aqualad, who gives me the, _we'll discuss this later _look.

About twenty miles from the source of the smoke, we land. Kit'rinn's green face is slightly pale, and I know she's taken us further than she should've gone. She leaves the second we're off.

"We can go to the source of the fire, where there's ice in the ground. Aquagirl and I can turn it to water and get rid of the source of the fire." Aqualad volunteers.

"Good idea, if it's at all possible." I say. There might be thousands of aliens or people there to guard the flaming whatever it was, or the flame was a living thing or something like that.

"Jeez, you'd think Batman could send us in with _less_ information on the threat we're dealing with." Beast Boy says.

"He just said to do a recon mission," I say, "But if things go downhill, like usual, yes, we can beat the crap out of whatever is causing this, if we even can. It might just be some ancient Martian thing that was left there is acting up. We're here to find out."

We just blindly walk towards it, then. That's the brilliant plan that I can come up with. If Batman had managed to get more Intel on this mission instead of sending us blundering in on the situation, with Aqualad having a third degree burn and me having three fractured ribs. Brilliant plan, bats.

It's ten minutes before Blue becomes affected. He suddenly clutches at his head and falls over, armor beginning to come off.

We drag him back about ten feet and he gasps. "What was that?" He asks.

I stare at the towering flame and growl. I know what one of blue's weaknesses are.

"I know what's causing that now." I say, "Apoklips."

They all stare at me, and know that soon, all of us are going to be affected.

"Well, Recon complete." Blue Beetle says and then falls over gasping again.

"I'm afraid not. That thing's expanding!" I shout. We drag Blue out of range again.

"Blue, fly back to the safe point and send a signal to the league. The rest of us have to at least delay the thing before it covers the planet!" I shout, and he does.

"Soon we will all be affected, the closer we get." Aqualad says.

"We'll figure something out when we get there. Come on!" I shout.

It's five minutes at a run to reach the point where Robin and I feel the affects of whatever's happening. Robin doubles over, but I simply wince and steel my mind.

"Robin, Catgirl!" The two Atlanteans race back to us.

"I don't feel anything," I lie, "But Robin does. That thing runs on fire, right? Maybe if you use some of the ice we're conveniently standing on to make him, I don't know, an igloo and see if it works?"

He nods and tries it, and miraculously, it works.

"Rob, send a signal to Blue, he'll relay it to a league member who can help. The rest of us have to go." I say.

He reluctantly nods, and we head onwards. I feel horrible after losing two team mates, but know that if they had come any closer, tried any harder, they would've suffered.

We've arrived, and the Atlanteans are still unharmed by the energy. I feel a pounding throb in my head, but show as little as I can.

Aqualad sees my pale, clammy, skin though. "You lied!"

"You can feel it? You should've stayed with Robin!" Aquagirl gasps.

"Robin was in a lot more pain that I was, and I've run five miles with three broken ribs. I think I can deal with a bad headache." I say, rolling my eyes.

Suddenly the fire goes out and the pounding stops. A boom tube opens behind us, and we scramble for a hiding place.

It's Savage, Manta, Sportsmaster, Cheshire, Joker, and Catwoman. My mother hates Joker, and the Light! Why would she ever join them?

Now something clicks in my mind. I haven't seen or heard from Holly in a while. I'm guessing that it had something to do with that.

"Have the sidekicks arrived?" Asks Savage impatiently.

The New Gods of Apokolips stared as one of them, obviously the one in charge there, says, "If they are, they have not shown themselves. When they do, we will make them suffer."

Times like these, I really miss Miss M's telepathic links. The three of us chose our targets. Catwoman is mine, and I'll try to double time it with Joker. I take out another knife. Aqualad has Chosen to take down Manta and Cheshire, and Aquagirl is uncertainly preparing to take on Savage and Sportsmaster.

I shake my head at her and motion towards Joker. I'll take on Savage, she's too inexperienced.

But only if it comes to it. Only if we're spotted.

I spot the main computer and get an idea, whispering it to the other two. They stare at me dubiously as if I've gone mad for a moment, and then nod.

I'll hack the computer and turn off the fiery spire of doom and then blow it up. We'll hold them off until the league, who, according to Blue, has sent Alpha squad to help as well as a certain speedster and Archer, arrives.

I slip noiselessly across the ground and start madly typing into the computer. It's easy to revert to English, and I just turn off the fire device for good, and then stab it and toss some explosives in, then run.

It blows up as soon as I reach cover. There are tons of angered shouts as the people of Apoklips run to investigate, in the opposite direction of where we are. Catwoman knows this trick, however. She taught me most of what I know, meaning I'm a liability to the team at the moment.

"Catgirl." She smiles. "Catgirl is here."


	12. The Childhood Dilema

The Childhood Dilema

**Hello readers! Sorry if the rate I've been writing chapters at has dropped, I suddenly have a lot going on, including learning how to draw Anime and taking more time to edit this stuff before I post it. **

**To the reviewer who just joined the conversation: Did you not read last chapter's author's note? Stop sending me reviews to chat with other people! I actually take the time of my day to read the reviews that are posted on my story, and reading an argument is a waste of my damn time!**

**Anyways enjoy the chapter and remember that I don't care about flamers, they're just trying to get attention.**

* * *

"I'll distract them, you destroy the, whatever that is." I say, "The water trick, remember?"

Then I shoot out of the hiding place and throw a knife at Catwoman. The others, completely unaware that anyone else is here, go for me.

This is going to be bad. I've got about fifty New Gods from Apokolips, Savage, Manta, Catwoman, Joker, Sportsmaster, and Cheshire on my tail.

I don't even stand a chance. If the other two were here, I might've lasted two more seconds, it was that bad.

I'm pinned to the ground in what, five seconds, and have a burly Apokolips guy breathing down on my neck. The others surround me, weapons drawn. I growl menacingly at them.

"You knew you couldn't win this." Savage says. "What was your goal?"

"Try to fight you guys until backup arrives. Now that you can't turn on the fire of doom, the others can arrive safely." I say, a wicked grin on my face. "Think you can hold up against the entire league?"

My goal now is to have Savage send all his troops to the perimeter.

He frowns. Getting the message, two thirds head out to do just that.

"You won't last. Once they arrive, they won't risk losing one of their own precious sidekicks." He says.

"Oh really? Last time I checked, before I quit being a thief, I was Catwoman there's sidekick." I jerk my head in her direction. "I'm worth pig slop to them."

"We'll see." Savage says. I want to punch the triumphant smirk of the mad man's face. If he didn't have all the buddies here, I bet I could.

"You have a reputation, so I'm guessing someone will value your life. Maybe I should just bring me back as a trophy." Sportsmaster says.

"Yeah, congradulations. You caught: a fifteen year old kid, but too bad you needed all this backup. Maybe you're not as good a fighter as people are led to believe…" I let the challenge hang.

He growls at me and looks ready to strike when Catwoman shreds the arm on his costume. "She may be a traitor, but she's still my daughter. I'd have to scar Cheshire if you did that."

Cheshire looks indignant. "If you could get close enough to land the blow."

Yes, it's working!

"Listen, kid. I don't think you know who you're talking to." Catwoman says.

"Yes I do; a gutless thief from the streets of Gotham. It's your training that made the mess with Catgirl; otherwise she'd be on our side." Cheshire taunts.

"Oh, you do not want to go there." Catwoman growls, claws coming out.

"Are you threatening my daughter?" Sportsmaster asks.

Good, keep going, just a few more seconds…

I can see Aqualad and Aquagirl at work in the corner of my eye.

"You two are acting like petty children!" The leader of the soldiers snarls at my mother and Sportsmaster.

They turn on him.

I feel triumphant, but let a bored, nonchalant expression cross my face as I watch the fight, but always keeping tabs on the two superheroes from Atlantis.

Savage looks disinterested in the fight, so when the fight returns to me, I have a plan. Make Savage mad at me.

"You're a little scrawny…"

"Really, you're insulting me? At least I'm not some big muscled guard to that sniveling toad over there." I scoff.

I'm really tempting fate here, huh? I feel really stupid, and like the world is going to snuff me out at any moment. Cheshire sees what's going on, but doesn't seem to care. In fact, she seems to be enjoying this as much as I am.

"You know what? Kid has a point." Joker says, a dark tone in his voice. "We were all doing just fine on our own. Why rule the world when you can just sew chaos and draw fear to your name?"

Savage is very quick, but knowing the Joker, who goes toe to toe with Batman, he's more than capable to dodge the blow. He even lands one of his own as Savage passes.

"If you're that sloppy Savage, than I don't see why the people of Apokolips should ally ourselves with you, filth." The leader of the New Gods says. They turn to face Savage and his still loyal lackeys. The one holding me down lets me up and gestures for me to leave.

I gladly comply.

When I reach Aqualad and Aquagirl, the fighting has begun.

"What did you say to them?" Asks Aquagirl.

"I simply insulted Savage in front of his buddies after making all but him generally angry at each other. It didn't take much. Savage lunges and gets cut, the Apokolips dudes call him weak, they let me go and start beating on each other." I say.

"Where did you pick that trick up?" Aquagirl asks me as we get back to work.

"Catwoman, the very woman I provoked. She got so angry at Sportsmaster trying to hit me that she clawed him." I snort. "She saw everything else coming."

The two Atlantean members of the team finally make the water rise, and we get to a safe distance as the freezing liquid shoots into the machine.

As expected, it explodes. However, we did not anticipate the size of the explosion. From twenty feet away, we're still caught in the shockwave.

The three of us are sent flying for a good fifty feet. I slam against the ground hard, ribs screaming in pain as I begin to bounce across the ground.

I dig my claws in and skid to a screaming halt, huge gores dug into the dry ground where they'd been trailing.

I stay on the ground for a few moments, staring at the cliff behind me, one that I don't remember being there, inches away. Had I gone on an inch longer, I'd be dangling over the edge and have most likely fallen.

Aqualad is twenty feet away, looking winded but fine. Aquagirl is about thirty feet away from us, in a similar state as Aqualad.

My legs wobble in the attempt, but I manage to stand. I shake the shock of the situation off and check my injuries. I have three dislocated fingers, which I painfully pop back into place.

My costume ruined up beyond repair, and being a girl, you can understand how that's awkward for me. I take one of the rags from my legs and wear it as a sash across my chest. My left goggle has shattered, and my ribs are screaming in agony.

I have many bad cuts as well as smaller ones, and a few huge bruises. My left ankle is killing me, but I force myself to walk on it.

For no clear reason, I feel taller, older. Not in the figurative sense. In the sense of being a teenager and looking back at your seven-year-old days. That's how I feel looking back to minutes ago. I cast a look around, and see that Aqualad is tiny! His outfit, though, didn't shrink with him.

Sometime in the explosion, Robin and Blue Beetle had arrived, but Blue Beetle was the size of a toddler and Robin looked about ten years old. Aquagirl, I realize, is about twelve.

I face palm. That explosion messed with our ages!

I look at myself and decide that I'm about nineteen-twenty. Jesus I hope this is reversible, I can't lose three or four years of my teen life!

Of course, Aqualad looks like he's about six. Huh, he used to regard me as a younger sister. I guess it's the other way around now...

Now begs the question, why the hell did I turn older when everyone else turned into kids?

They are all unconscious right now. Thank God, they're all going to have a panic attack when they wake up, and I'd rather not have any suicide attempts with this conveniently close cliff ledge right here.

"Catgirl to Cave, mission complete, but we have a serious problem." I say.

Batman responds. "I almost don't want to know."

"Um, you see, when we got here, it was Apokolips tech doing all the damage. We went to investigate it, and then blew it up. Unfortunately, the explosion did some damage." I say.

"You sound older." He says.

"Yeah, that's the damage. I got turned about nineteen to twenty years old, Aqualad looks about six, Aquagirl seems to be a twelve year old, Robin is ten, and Blue Beetle looks like a three year old in blue armor." I say.

Batman swears. My eyes widen. He's very angry. "I guess I'm not leading a team again." I say.

The bioship arrives soon after, and the team looks shocked as I carry up the very young team mates who are still unconscious.

"I am not babysitting." I say once they're restrained in the med bay.

I sit down and we fly back, but I have a long night of explaining to do.

* * *

"So you blew it up?" Asks Nightwing.

"It was expanding and hurting the Martians, Blue, and Robin and I. We had to do something, and since it was pretty much a huge flamethrower, Aqualad and Aquagirl used the ice below it to, you know, fry the circuitry and blow it up." I say.

A loud high pitched shriek came from the med bay.

They all turned to me and said in unison, "Get back there."

I sigh and go back to try to get Aqualad, who just screamed, to calm down.

"What, what kind of black magic is this?" He yelled in shock when he saw me.

"Relax, you got, um, de-aged. You're about six years old right now, I'm sure it's temporary." I say, exasperated.

"How did that happen?" He asks. I detect the heavy lisp in his voice and almost find it cute.

"when you and Aquagirl blew up the whatever it was, it messed with our ages. Probably magic." I explain.

He sighs and leans his head back, and then asks, "Why am I tied up?"

"In case you reacted like you did." I say. "Oh, and by the way, mind putting in a good word about me to Batman when he gets the explanation from you? Robin got hurt, and Bats will snap my neck if this is permanent."

"Batman sounds like a mean person." Aqualad says.

Oh Damn, he's losing his maturity! God help me when the others wake up!

"WWWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

Oh, great, Blue woke up.

I have no idea what to do, so I just sedate him. I. Do. Not. Do. Babies.

"Is he goanna scream again?" Asks Aqualad.

"I hope not." I say, but in my head, I say, _I don't want to be responsible for snapping Blue's neck._

When we reach the cave, we all take one team member. I end up with Aqualad, who insists on holding my hand. Agh, I feel like a nanny!

Well, I guess it was kind of cute...

Batman looks ready to kill me, and so does Aquaman, and Tempest, and Batgirl, and Lagoon Boy.

Their fierce glares scare mini-Kaldur, who hides behind me. Jeez, I should've been running for my life while he gave the cover story!

Instead, I look right back at them.

They notice tiny Aqualad, and their eyes soften, They get the message that the team members are all acting like little kids too, and have the minds of little kids, while I have the mind of a nineteen/twenty year old. Wow, I just realized that I'm a legal adult, for now.

"Explanations can come later." Batman says. I nod and lead Kaldur upstairs and into his room. I seriously am thankful that he looks adorable right now, otherwise my head would be on a stake in front of the hall of justice and my body at the bottom of the ocean.

"Catgirl, why are they so mad?" He asks. OMG this is so cute! He has puppy dog eyes!

"Don't worry about that Kaldur." I say.

"Can I go home to Atlantis?" He asks, blue eyes big and pleading.

"I'll talk to Aquaman about that, see if he'll let you." I say. It all depends on what we find out about this weird age thing.

He nods and yawns. I realize that it's one A.M., and help him into bed, then I leave.

I'm really glad that when I come down, Robin is running around in the rafters and distracting the league, otherwise I'd be fried.

"Where's Aqualad?" Aquagirl asks me.

"He's in bed." I say, "And you should be to. It's one in the morning."

"I live in Atlantis, and bedtime is for losers!" She smiles, and then races for the Zeta tubes, and then thinks better of it, jumping into the pool.

I chased her all the way there. THIS, my friends, is why I HATE babysitting!

I hear someone clearing their throat behind me, and turn to see Zatanna.

"Zatanna! OH, thank God!" I gasp.

"Good to see you too." She says, "But it's about the age thing. Dr. Fate and I are trying to see if it's temporary or not. With all of the people turned younger, it's temporary, but we don't know about you yet." She says.

I nod and follow her to the Med Bay, where she and Doctor fate do a spell.

I sit there looking uncomfortable.

They look concerned, but then leave.

I have a feeling I know the answer. Zatanna comes back and says, "Catgirl, you were different. You were turned older, to twenty years old. I'm sorry, but your transformation is, permanent."

I feel the blood drain from my face. I just lost my entire teenage life and I've never even been on a date! How is this possible! Why cruel world? Why!?

"Are you okay?" She asks.

"Yeah Z, I just need to adjust to this for a moment." I say.

I wait until I'm in the basement before having a mental breakdown.

* * *

In the morning, I wake to the sound of my alarm. Muttering a curse, I slap my hand lazily on the snooze button. I do NOT want to wake up right now.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!

I want to crush that thing!

I turn it off and get up, landing facedown on the floor instantly. Right, extra height and weight to factor in.

I stretch lazily and get dressed in civvies. This is going to be a long day.

I head down to the kitchen and find M'gann cooking.

"Hey M'gann." I say.

"Hi Catgirl. You left before Batman told us last night, but, we're stuck babysitting." She says, "You, Me, Artemis, Beast Boy, and Wolf. Superboy went to spend the time they're you know, like that, with Superman, La'gann went back to Atlantis for a while, and so did Tempest. The others decided to distance themselves from the cave."

"Sounds wonderful. I'd end up stuck with Kaldur anyways, he hardly leaves me alone." I yawn, remembering the nightmare incident at three A.M.

the pitter patter of feet echoes through the room as Aquagirl comes back in.

"I couldn't find Atlantis in the pool." She says, pouting.

I roll my eyes. "Of course you couldn't, that doesn't lead to the ocean."

"But my Mom said all water leads to Atlantis!" She gasps, "Did Mom lie to me!?"

"M'gann," I say, cuing her in.

While she explained to Aquagirl, I examined a note left for me on the counter. It says,

_You may not be challenged in a fight, or have been turned younger, but we do not know if there will be any unwanted side effects of your condition. Please stay in the cave. -Z_

"No, but I know another fun place to swim." I inform him.

That's how, five minutes later, Aqualad and Aquagirl are in bathing suits in the pool while I read Throne of Glass, leaning against the wall. I have no intention of swimming.

Beast Boy comes in a moment later and turns into a dolphin, letting them play with him. He's a great guy, I have to admit. At least, he's a better babysitter than I am.

I just can't help but wonder what this childhood dilemma will bring.


	13. The Flu, Poltergeist, and Seattle

The Flu, Poltergeist, and Seattle

**Hello Readers! Yes, I'm sure you all like little Aqualad, I just couldn't help it, I had to do it! **

**So, this is year 4 of the gap of YJ, and it's in May. May 4, 2015. Anyways, Please Read and Review, and definitely enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

I guess I find out when Robin comes in and sneezes, and then coughs, and then asks in a stuffy voice, "Can I have some cough Tylenol? I think I have the flu."

I want to face palm again.

Okay, who would know about medicine doses and what to do when it comes to the flu? Artemis probably would!

I lead Robin up to the retired Heroine, and say, "Artemis, Robin has the flu and I'm terrible with medicine."

She rolls her eyes at me and says, "Follow me then," To Robin, and I head back down to the pool.

Jamie (Blue Beetle) is sitting with M'gann, sleeping in her lap while she watches _Hello Megan._

The water roars suddenly and I find myself, and my twenty dollar hardcover version of _Throne of Glass_ is soaked.

Aqualad is giggling and he says, "Come in! Come in!"

"Yeah! What's wrong? Afraid to get wet kitty?"

I frown at the ruins of my book, and then sigh. It could've been worse. I can just buy a new book.

Then I look up and say, "I'll join you in a minute."

Soon, I find myself in the pool in my bathing suit while Aqualad tries to get me to play some Atlantean game with me. He continues trying to jerk me underwater, but I tell him, "Humans can't breathe under water."

He pouts and tears come to his eyes.

"Does it last longer than five minutes?" I ask.

He shakes his head.

"Then I'll play." I say.

The pout goes away and the tears instantly vanish. "YAY!" He cheers.

I dive under water with him, Beast Boy, and Aquagirl, and then put a rebreather in my mouth. My hair is everywhere, as if I was caught in a cyclone.

Apparently, this is some kind of sorcery game, and Beast Boy and I are just down here because they wanted us to watch, or, Aqualad wanted us to watch. He's a little kid right now, a toddler, really. I have to remember that.

After seven minutes, we resurface and I put the rebreather back on the shore and take a look at my book, which M'gann was Kind enough to blow dry for me. The pages are all wavy now, though, and the ink is all over the pages. I sigh and grab some money, then head out to the happy harbor bookstore to buy another copy.

When I return, it is complete Chaos. Robin and Aquagirl have Artemis tied up with a grappling gun and are whacking her repeatedly with a stick, screaming something about bad tasting medicine.

I grab the stick, snap it over my knee, and shout, "Hooligans!"

They scamper away and I untie a blue and purple blonde girl.

"Thanks Catgirl." She says.

"No problem." I smile in reply.

We end up padlocking all the doors, vents, and windows to their rooms with electric locks, accessible only from outside the rooms and at Artemis and my heights, and only opening the doors to feed them or give them something to drink all day.

Of course, Aqualad trails me all day. It was cute at first, but, now…

I dash away silently when he has his back turned and perch in the rafters, reading the book I just bought.

Then a scared whimper of, "Catgirl?" Comes from below me, and I look down. He looks so cute, but terrified. There is something moving in the shadows, my cat, Shadow.

I jump down from the rafters and Shadow trots out, tail held high.

"Black cats are bad luck!" Aqualad warns me.

I laugh. "No they're not; otherwise, I would be too. I wear enough of the fur that he sheds to be mistaken for one."

He smiles and Shadow sniffs him, and then purrs, rubbing along my friend's leg.

Mini-Aqualad laughs and starts petting Shadow, and I vault back up to the rafters.

I see movement that shouldn't be there. I slip soundlessly forwards, thinking that it's Robin, but it clearly isn't. This person is larger, older, and has a whip…

"Catwoman!" I shout, startling her. She glares at me and lashes her whip around my leg,. Yanking me off my perch before I can do anything about it.

I crash hard against the floor, gasping as my arm breaks and a terrible _crack _echoes across the room. I let out a scream as it happens, and then stagger to my feet.

Catwoman lands gracefully in front of me, and I stand, growling.

With a screech of fury, Shadow leaps from terrified mini-Aqualad's side onto Catwoman's face, all puffed up and angry. I throw a knife with my good arm, and it hits the ear of Catwoman's costume.

Artemis runs in and stares in shock, ducking as a black ball of fur soars through the air over her head, and as Selina Kyle manages to grab my broken arm and squeeze on the lump in my skin where the bone is almost protruding, and throws me into the wall. I let out a pained yell as my worls id enveloped in a dark haze.

Artemis resorts to martial arts, but this is a woman whose skills rival Batman's, and she's thrown across the room like a paper plane, even smashing into a wall. I notice something different about Catwoman, younger. She is younger, but not by much. A year at most.

Our fight has attracted Beast Boy's attention. At the sight of us, BB turns into something I haven't seen before, A T-Rex, and attacks.

Catwoman never stood a chance, and ended up running away.

Only when she was gone did I allow myself to pass out.

* * *

I wake up in the med bay a moment later, Artemis across from me, and Beast Boy is passed out with an oxygen mask in a corner. That must've taken a lot out of him. My arm is in a sling. Fan-friggin-tastic.

I stand up and walk out of the room, surveying the damage. There were lots of three inch deep three toed footprints from Beast Boy's recent transformation.

Miss M is here, as well as KF, Bumble Bee, Zatanna, and Red Arrow (Shockingly).

They don't seem to see me when I walk out, and I realize that their attention is on a black cat sitting in front of them, emerald eyes fixed on them, tail curled over his paws.

"What do we do with it?" Asks Bumble Bee.

"Nothing if you want to keep your head on your shoulders. C'mere Shadow!" I say The cat instantly perks up and jogs towards me, and then jumps onto my shoulders, purring.

"Is that your cat?" Asks RA.

"Yes, he is. I don't know how he got in here, though." I say, scratching his ears.

"Well, that's one mystery solved." KF says.

"There are more?" I question.

"Yeah, there are, like why the little kids were watching Poltergeist in there?" Asks Bumble Bee, "I thought that only Robin and Aquagirl were old enough to watch that at the moment…"

"That's because they are! The others are pretty much toddlers!" I yell, and we all dash in and turn off the TV.

Aqualad looks at me, shaking, while Jamie was Bawling, and said, "That was scary. Why would anyone be so evil as to do what the mean-ghost did?"

"It wasn't real Kaldur, come on, that's definitely not something you should watch." I say, and then seeing the trauma in his face, asks, "Anyone know where Black Cannary is?"

We let the two terrors watch the rest of the movie, and were rewarded by the occasional screams from the TV, joined by, "DON'T GO INTO THE LIGHT CAROLANNE!" From Aquagirl, followed by a sudden bark of laughter from Robin.

I laugh at that. In truth, it isn't a scary movie at all, the graphics and monsters are horrible, but tell that to a six year old Kaldur and a two year old Jamie.

"My God, Batman's going to burn us at the stake for letting them watch that." Zatanna says shakily.

"We'll just say we turned it off, and they turned it back on." I say, "And then say it's on Netflix and that it should really be restricted at the moment."

"If he's even mad." RA says.

Aqualad is still standing next to me when a scream tears through the door. He screams in reply and leaps behind me. Jamie starts Bawling.

"Now, you see? This is why I don't do babysitting! Calm down, kiddos." RA says, tone gentling. They calm down.

I didn't even know he could dump the badass act long enough to do something like that, let alone that anyone could do something like that!

I have a feeling a certain group of kids will be having nightmares.

Jamie starts bawling again. I lead Kaldur away from the scene as a despaired shout of "WHY?!" Sails through the cave. I don't even want to know what it was about, but I have the vague idea what it means, and don't want to traumatize Kaldur.

"Why did Roy scream?" He asks.

Awesome! I have Red Arrow's secret ID! "You don't want to know." I reply.

He gets the message, wrinkles his nose, and I take him to the pool, where he is about to jump in, and then stops and screams, "NONONONONO! LADY FELL INTO THE POOL AND WAS ATTACKED BY SKELETONS! I DON"T WANNA GET ATTACKED BY SKELETONS!"

I lead him away from the pool, shushing him. "It's okay, skeletons aren't real, that movie was fake, none of it was real, it's okay…"

He stops screaming and says, "That was a scary movie. Why did Wobin and Aqwa Giwl ma me wach it?" He asks, and I smile at the lisp. Jesus he's adorable.

"Because they didn't know you would be so scared of it. Ghosts don't exist, and some people like scaring others, and some people like to get over being scared, so they make movies and watch them to test their limits. They thought you could handle it." I reply.

I hope he remembers none of this when the effects ware off.

I run into Zatanna, who asks, "What's wrong? I heard screaming!"

"Side effects of the movie, nothing to worry about." I say.

"Oh, and something else, I found out while you were unconscious, the effects of the blast should wear off on them in two days, meaning the rest of today and tomorrow." She said. "Now, if only I could find where Robin and Aquagirl ran off to after the movie…"

She walked away. I shake my head and sing "Born to be wi-i-ld!"

"You can sing?" Asks a voice. My cheeks turn red when I see Red Arrow staring at me. "You're damn good at it!"

"No, I'm not, you never heard it." I say, and dart off, and then tell Aqualad, "Don't tell anyone, okay?"

"Okay." He says. I sigh with relief. That would've been embarrassing. How did I get that distracted?

Aqualad continues to follow me all day. Most people would be annoyed, but I don't mind. Shadow is also following me around, so that just makes one more tag along.

"There's a red thing on your shoe." Aqualad says. I look at the bottom of my shoe and freeze, for right there is a cat shaped tracking device. I grab it and take it off, then crush it in frustration.

Shadow walks away, spotting a mouse to chase. I just go around the cave doing whatever until midnight.

There was a thunderstorm, and the next second, there was a death grip around my neck. I yelled in shock and woke up, eyes wide, and hear a whimper.

It was just Kaldur. Oh, I remember now, Poltergeist first struck in a lightning storm, like what we were experiencing now. I ask him anyways. "What's wrong?"

"Nightmare, storm, m'scared!"

"Can you please let go of my neck?" I ask, voice strained and ragged.

He realized what he was doing and let go. Jesus, I am not forgetting that wake up call. I almost turned him into a punching bag!

"Kaldur, the poltergeist isn't real. He is the result of someone's imagination and fears, created to entertain thrill seekers. The poltergeist only exists in a movie."

"But in the movie," *hiccup* "He came from the TV!"

"That was also imagined. Don't worry, there's no such thing as the poltergeist." I say, sighing. This was Aqualad as a little kid? Well, I guess that's everyone as a little kid.

"But magic is real! Why couldn't ghosts be? I know there was a temporary hero called deadman!" He says, "And that guy was a ghost!"

Dang it!

"The poltergeist isn't real; just trust me on this, okay? You can do that, right?" I ask.

He is nodding when my door bangs open and a silhouette runs in. I instantly recognize it as Miss M coming to check and see what's wrong, and she opens her mouth to say so, but since she's flying…

"YOU SAID THE POLTERGEIST ISN'T REAL!" He screams, and then he hides behind me.

"Relax, Kaldur. It's Just M'gann." I turn the light on, revealing a bewildered green girl.

"Oh, I heard you scream and then decided to see…" She starts.

"He had a Nightmare, and startled me when he came in." I explain, "Nothing's wrong other than that. Why is my room so popular right now?" I adopt a bewildered expression and a typical teen face.

She grins and says, "I don't know."

"Is the poltergeist real?" A small voice asks M'gann from behind me.

"No, silly!" She laughs, "Is that what this is about?"

Aqualad has an embarrassed expression on his face. He gets out from behind me and heads back to his room, but leaves the light on when he goes to sleep.

I return to mine, turning the light off, and passing out instantly.

* * *

Morning sucks.

That's all I have to say when my alarm clock goes off way too early for me. I just smash the snooze button as hard as I can, and go back to sleep.

Then my phone buzzes. I groan and wake up, and Batman has a mission for me. Woo hoo.

I go through my morning routine and head to where Batman, Red Arrow, and Black Canary are waiting. I look around. "Nobody else?" I ask.

"No. You will be able to call for help, but this is a simple mission. There's a child shipping ring that's been reported in Seattle Washington. Your mission is to take it down." He informs me.

I blink. "Not a simple recon?" I ask.

"Nope. I'll be going in as backup, but only if you call." Red Arrow says.

Suddenly I'm aware of what's going on. Everyone that has been asked to join the league has gone on an important solo mission. They were now giving me one, and that means…

They want me to join the league.

"Can I wait until my arm heals? I don't want the others to think I'm ditching them when they're themselves again, and I'm pretty sure I can't fight crime with this thing." I ask.

He nods and says, "But not a day later."

I head away. This feels wrong. The whole string of events. The de-aging thing, Shadow, Catwoman, the child trafficking ring…

I ponder my thoughts until I hear a footstep behind me. My eyes widen and I whirl, and see a man in a black ski mask holding Kaldur, asleep, with a gun to his head. A feeling of despair wells up in me. I growl, and the man grips the trigger and I stand down. "What do you want?"

"You, of course. You almost caused a rebellion in the Light. I'll let him live if you hand him all your weapons and allow yourself to be taken away."

Another man steps forwards. Kaldur hears his words and his eyes snap open. He tries to call for help, but the man covers his mouth.

"You sick creep." I growl, and hand over all six knives, my utility belt, the claws from my gloves, and my whip.

Kaldur has tears in his eyes. I look at the floor.

The man puts a gun on me, and then the one holding Kaldur lets the Atlantean go, and says, "Tell anyone we're here, and I'll have her shot, and then kill you."

The man opens a boom tube. I struggle as they pull me through, and Kaldur runs. I let out a cry for help, but they've pulled me the rest of the way through.

They toss me into a metal box of some sort and it locks from the outside. There are air holes, small ones all over the place. They're all about the size of a grain of dust. These guys are not taking their chances.

I feel myself being dragged.

What do they want with me? Why Kaldur? Why go through all this trouble to nab me?

I'm loaded into a truck and feel it drive down the road.

After a few moments, the car stops and a man says, "Seatle Police Department, inspection. What's in the crate?"

"HELP!" I scream at the top of my lungs.

"What in the name of…"

There is the sound of Gunfire, and then the crate tips and hits the ground. I let out a cry as it jars my broken arm.

The side is being pried open by a crowbar, and I kick it hard. The door pops lose.

"My God…" One of the police men says as I climb through.

"Catgirl? How did they get you?" Asks a shocked voice of one of the two officers.

"They had a gun on a kid, and I have a broken arm. How far am I from the nearest city?" I ask.

"Two miles, why?" He asks.

"Can I guess that it's Seatle?" I ask, knowing where all the tubes in Seatle are.

"Yes but…"

"Which way?"

"That way." One says, and points the opposite direction the car was going, and then asks, "Need a ride?"

I wasn't expecting that, but say, "I'll walk, but just so you know, there's probably going to be more coming from that way."

Then I blend with the shadows and dash away.

* * *

I come back to the cave ten minutes later, in a very bad mood.

"Are you okay?" Asks a chorus of worried voices.

"M fine." I say, and then leave the room full of prying eyes and go take a shower, get rid of the ruined costume, and get into civvies. How long was I gone? Six hours, it seems. What time was I captured? Eight A.M.

It is now 1 P.M. and I officially hate my arm.

I find myself reading the rest of Throne of Glass until 10:27 P.M. and go to sleep.

I wake to yells of shock in the middle of the night. Midnight, to be exact. I actually fall out of bed, groaning as I get up. I open the door with a shout of, "WHAT IS GOING ON?"

Kaldur, back to normal, shouts back, "WHY WAS I A SIX YEAR OLD A FEW SECONDS AGO?"

"WHY DID THE SCARAB FALL OFF AND THEN RE-FUSE ITSELF TO MY BACK?"

"WHY ARE WE YELLING?" Robin yells.

"WHY DID PEOPLE SCREAM!" M'gann yelled.

"WHY AM I IN CLOTHS THAT FIT A TWELVE YEAR OLD?"

"ARE YOU COMPLETE IDIOTS?" Superboy, who'd returned, shouts.

"NEVER INSULT MY GIRLFRIEND LIKE THAT!" Garth yells.

"SHUDDUP!" I screech.

Everyone goes quiet.

"Thank you! Now can we go back to sleep and wait until morning for all this crap?" I ask.

All of our doors close and I throw myself at My bed in relief.


	14. Things returning to normal almost

Grown Up

**Yes, hello dear readers! Do know that I really enjoyed writing the kid-YJ part, and that I hope you enjoyed reading it.**

**Anyways, please review, tell me your thoughts about the last two chapters and the story, and also about this chapter, if you don't mind. I'm going for a more light mood right now. Plus, I just ate a whole ton of sugar and got a crazed child idea, and put it on paper asap.**

**So enjoy!**

* * *

The next day, Aqualad and Jamie looked horrified. I'm guessing their memories came back.

I totally slept through my alarm today. It was awesome. I need to do that more often!

Robin, Tempest, and Aquagirl are hanging out by the TV, and we're all giving them a wide berth. We all know what Jason and Tula are capable of.

I walk past Aqualad, say hi, and then head to the kitchen, grab a protein bar, and walk away. No way am I cooking anything. I can burn _water _and it breaks the laws of freaking nature, and I do it on accident!

Of course, Aqualad was around when it happened, and oh, that was funny.

Flashback

_Aqualad walked into the kitchen and spotted Catgirl by the stove, with a pot of water. _

"_Hello Catgirl." He said._

_She turned and asked, "How do you boil water? You are the water expert, right?"_

"_You simply put the pot of water on the stove and turn it on." He said dully._

_Her cheeks turned ink with embarrassment. "I knew that."_

_He walked away, and the fire alarms started going off. Catgirl was trying to put out a fire on the stove, which had somehow flaming water on top of it._

_Aqualad had no other choice, he drenched the entire thing with the fire hydrant, including Catgirl, who was stretched over it with a cloth trying to put it out._

_A few seconds after it was out, he asked her, "What did you do?"_

_It took a few more astonished seconds for her to reply, in which the entire team had arrived._

"_I burned _water_."_

End Flashback

I am in the rafters eating my breakfast in moments. I drop the wrapper into a conveniently positioned garbage bin below me and jump down from the rafters, landing right in front of Aqualad.

He jumps in surprise.

"Good to see you're back to normal! Now, want to play air hockey or are you just going to sulk around all day?" I ask.

He blinks and says, "You are not…"

"Dude, I blame Apoklips, not you." I say, "Now c'mon! Life has been such a drag recently."

"The effects on you did not wear off…" Aqualad observes.

"And they won't. While you were reduced in age, I lost four years of my life. Four years that can't be recovered. But hey, do you see me being all doom and gloom?" I say.

He smirks at me.

Soon we're in a tight match, we're playing to ten and the score is nine to nine!

"Recognized, Black Canary, 13, Superboy, B04"

Superboy walked right through the table, destroying the match. Aqualad and I are annoyed, and Black Canary can tell.

"Does he do that every time anyone plays Air hockey?" I ask.

"It appears so." Aqualad grumbles. "Rematch later?"

"You're on, when he's off at school. I do online courses now." I say, "Meaning I don't have to go to that hell hole."

He rolls his eyes, and then notices my serious expression, and asks, "Is it really that bad?"

"Heck yeah. I know everything they're teaching us already, I mean, I work with this stuff every day." I say, rolling my eyes.

He doesn't seem to get it, but doesn't ask any more questions.

Black Canary sends out a call to the team.

We're training. Finally.

"I'll need a sparring partner." Black Canary says.

Superboy steps forwards. I notice that Wally and Artemis are here, as observers on the sidelines.

She gracefully leaps to the side as Conner tries to hit her, and he leaps out of range of her next blow. They go on in this dive in and out fight for a while until Canary goes all out and throws him.

I leap to the side to avoid him hitting me as he flies past.

"Superboy, status, fail."

Superboy stands up and walks over to the sidelines. "Nice throw."

She smiles at him. Well, I guess the two badass fighters had to have a friendship at some point.

Did I mention that my arm healed really fast? My cat rubbed on it a lot, which was weird, and then it just, healed. There's no explanation except that Shadow has healing abilities.

That's why he's allowed to stay at the cave. He even has a designation, C03, the cave's resident healer and mouser. Both really helped.

Next, M'gann stepped up. In a few moments, she's flat on her back. "Miss Martian, status, Fail."

She joins Superboy.

Lagoon Boy goes next, and is the next to fall.

It goes on like this until I'm the last one there, and have seen all of Canary's attacks and defenses.

She attacks with a punch to the face, but goes down, and I flip over her back and kick. She grabs my leg and throws me, but I land on my hands and spring up.

She rushes me, and I pretend to go right, do it in my eyes, and then dodge left. I sewwp her feet out from under her and…

"Black Canary, status, Fail."

The team is shocked. I'm shocked! Did I just beat the Black Canary?

I help her up, and she smiles at me. "Good job. Next time won't be so easy."

I walk to the sidelines and realize that I've grown.

Black Canary POV

I can hardly believe the computer when it says I've failed. Catgirl has grown physically and mentally, but I didn't know that it would affect her skill level! I underestimated her, and the result is her helping me off the ground instead of the other way around.

"Good job," I praise, "Next time won't be so easy."

She smiles at me and joins the others at the sidelines.

I can't help but realize that she's grown up.

We go again, each member falling, except for Catgirl, who wins every time around. I think it's time. And by that, I know she hasn't done the solo mission, but it's time for her to join the league. I'll speak to Batman about it as soon as he arrives.

Catgirl is no longer a girl, but a grown woman. Now all she needs to do is realize it.

Catgirl POV

When I take the online aptitude test to see which grade I'll be put in, it puts me some levels up in college. Jesus Christ, how did that happen?

I smile and go through the tests that allow me to skip grades, and I pass every single one of them. It shocks me.

I guess that transformation really did change me, for the better I hope.

Shadow leaps up onto the desk and walks across the keyboard of my laptop, rubbing on me, as if trying to heal my conflicted mind.

I rub his back and give him some water. He meows his thanks and starts to drink.

I take the first course, and find that this really is on my level. I can do this and actually learn things. I'm not doing majors, just taking normal and elective classes online.

There is a buzz on my phone, telling me to come to the counseling room. I do, confused.

There are a few league members waiting for me, being Batman, Black Canary, Red Tornado, Superman, and Martian Manhunter.

"Did I do something wrong?" I ask.

"No, in fact, quite the opposite." Black Canary says.

"We are here to offer you an official League membership, in three days, there will be a public induction into the league, and you and a few other heroes will be accepted if you so chose." Batman says.

I know that I've wanted this for a long time, but…

Maybe I'm not ready. I've only been a hero for four years, and I know that my transformation made me a heavy hitter, but I'm weak in other ways.

Specifically, I just don't think I'd be able to survive in the world on my own yet, truth be told I won't for a while, let's be honest. I may appear to be twenty and all of that, but I don't feel like it. I just want to be myself for a while longer.

"I'm sorry, but I'm saying no." I reply.

They looked surprised, but then I guess they realize that in my heart, I'm still a teenager, and in my mindset. I mean, Aqualad just turned twenty, and he isn't on the league.

"Alright then." Batman says.

I leave the room, feeling like I've crossed a milestone.


End file.
